The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave an interview with BBC One and journalist Laura Kuenssberg.
The Prime Minister is in the British capital for a three-day official working visit, during which he will have contacts with investors, members of the Greek diaspora, as well as meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, but also with the leader of the Labor Party, Keir Starmer.
Speaking about the Parthenon Sculptures, Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out, among other things, that “they would look better in the Acropolis Museum. It is not a matter of return, the Sculptures belong to Greece and were stolen”.
“For us it’s a question of reunification, where can you best admire these important monuments. If we cut out half of the Mona Lisa and half was in the Louvre, what would happen?”, asked the Prime Minister characteristically.
“If I told you [to] cut the Mona Lisa in half… do you think your viewers would appreciate the beauty of the painting?”
Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis says returning the Elgin Marbles to Greece is about “reunification” not “ownership”
#BBCLauraK https://t.co/DYK0KHQRgx pic.twitter.com/hOJbK84VcR— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 26, 2023
He added: “We have not made as much progress as we would like in the negotiations, but I am patient. I will stick to these discussions. I’ve got a full term ahead of me”. He also commented on the report that Labour’s Keir Starmer is positive about the Sculptures, saying: “I’ll meet him and the Prime Minister tomorrow and I’ll tell you then”.
When asked to speak about the shipwreck of Pylos, last June, Mr. Mitsotakis noted: “We are investigating the incident, but I would like to point out that our Coast Guard has saved tens of thousands of lives. We have the right to stop boats at sea and have them return to where they started from”.
“The tragedy is that this boat left the coast of Libya in the first place”
Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis says “at the end of the day we should hold smugglers accountable” for the fishing boat tragedy that killed hundreds off the coast of Greece#BBCLauraK https://t.co/DYK0KHQRgx pic.twitter.com/cwbynXFaxl
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) November 26, 2023
Regarding the economy, he said: “We have changed the course of the country, the economy is doing better, growth is more dynamic, we have lowered taxes and achieved greater growth. The difficult days for Greece are behind us”.
