Greek PM Alexis Tsipras raised the issue of the return to Greece of the Parthenon Marbles, during his meeting with his British counterpart, Theresa May 10 Downing Street. The Greek PM said he was not concerned about the latest departure from the Independent Greeks, his coalition partner, leaving the government’s majority with only 152 MPs.
In his statements to the press following his meeting with Mr May, Mr Tsipras claimed he was not worried about MP George Lazaridis’s decision to abandon the government majority, as the government was … “too hard to die”.

As he noted, “I do not worry at all about Lazaridis.
Despite the foolish plans some people are trying to hatch, the government cohesiveness will continue and we will complete our work at the end of the four years.
We are too tough to die. ”

On her part, the British PM dubbed Alexis Tsipras’ visit to London a historic occasion, congratulating the Greek Prime Minister on the agreement reached in the Eurogroup and on the agreement with FYROM.

In particular, in their dialogue at the start of their Downing Street 10 meeting, Mrs May referred to the historical ties between the two countries. She also made special mention on the issue of immigration, a matter that Greece had handled, while recognizing the pressure our Greece has experienced.

Alexis Tsipras noted that his visit was taking place during an extremely important period for Greece due to the end of the bailout programme that was sealed with the decision of the Eurogroup. He underlined the role that Britain played as a global economic power, noting that now more than ever the two countries needed to strengthen their economic ties. He also made reference to cooperation between Greece and the UK in the defense sector.