Story perspectives

Mitsotakis Rejects British Museum Loan Over Ownership Recognition

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 2:46 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged Culture Secretary Andy Burnham to secure will for returning the Parthenon sculptures.
Mitsotakis rejected any loan requiring Greece to acknowledge the British Museum’s ownership, calling the sculptures stolen heritage.
Negotiations that began in 2021 collapsed, ending five years of talks with no restart plan.
The British Museum said a loan would require Greece to recognize its legal ownership of the sculptures.

1 of 1

Story summary

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged Culture Secretary Andy Burnham to secure will for returning the Parthenon sculptures.
Mitsotakis rejected any loan requiring Greece to acknowledge the British Museum’s ownership, calling the sculptures stolen heritage.
Negotiations that began in 2021 collapsed, ending five years of talks with no restart plan.
The British Museum said a loan would require Greece to recognize its legal ownership of the sculptures.