Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis Pressures Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham on Elgin Marbles Return

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has intensified pressure on the UK regarding the Elgin Marbles, specifically calling on Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to advance their permanent return to Athens. Mr Mitsotakis's appeal directly referenced Mr Burnham's comments from 2023, where the Mayor advocated for the sculptures' repatriation to Greece 'with no strings attached'.

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture confirmed a communication from Mr Mitsotakis to Mr Burnham, dated 7th June. This correspondence follows Mr Burnham's public declaration that 'the time is right' for the Parthenon Sculptures, housed in the British Museum, to be returned.

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Mayor's Office stated that Mr Burnham 'will be responding to the Prime Minister in due course'. The sculptures were removed from the Parthenon in Athens in the early 19th century by Lord Elgin, then the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and have been a source of ongoing diplomatic contention between Greece and the UK.