Kathimeri's article by Costis P. Papadiochos is wrapped in optimism.
"Greece and the British Museum are reportedly nearing a crucial agreement for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles. Confidential negotiations have yielded significant progress, though a formal deal has yet to be sealed. Key discussions centre on permanently housing the sculptures at Athens’ Acropolis Museum while offering major Greek artefacts for extended exhibitions in London. However, the discussions do not include all that Lord Elgin removed."
And indeed BCRPM members have spent decades explaining that Greece's the request for the reunification of Parthenon Marbles is specific and does not include all that Lord Elgin removed from the Acropolis.
Plus the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles in the Acropolis Museum's Parthenon Gallery would reinstate the Parthenon's artistic and historical narrative. The marble sculptures that are being asked for include: fragments of the frieze (56 fragments are missing from the frieze depicting the Panathenaic Procession-about 75 meters out of a total of 160), 17 pedimental figures and 15 metopes.
The critical challenge, navigating the UK’s 1963 law that prohibits deaccession. The Kathimerini article however suggests that the "British Museum officials are pursuing a creative legal framework to comply with the restriction while satisfying Greece’s firm resistance to loans. This legal compromise is seen as crucial in shielding the agreement from anticipated court challenges."
We continue to wait with optimism.
"Negotiators are cautiously optimistic that, after decades of contention, both sides can align on a sustainable and mutually respectful solution. With cultural heritage and international diplomacy at stake, the final steps in this process may hold significant implications for global artefact restitution debates." Concludes Costis Papadiochos.
