The President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos expressed his support for the immediate return of Parthenon Marbles to the Acropolis Museum in Athens, during the inauguration of the 24th Art Athina at Zappeion, Friday afternoon, noting that was the exact purpose the Museum was built for.

Mr Pavlopoulos used harsh words against the intransigent stance of the British Museum pointing out that its persistence in refusing to return the Marbles of the Parthenon to the Acropolis Museum also offended the culture of Great Britain, while stressing that this behaviour has begun to cause a worldwide outcry.

“The British Museum’s aforementioned obsession is tantamount to supporting cultural grave robbing and Elgin’s theft. And, of course, it does not honour the people of Great Britain, with the history they bear, that the crown jewel of their Culture, the British Museum, should behave as a common possessor of stolen goods and embezzler of unique World Heritage goods.”