A diplomatic dispute arose between Greece and the United Kingdom. The reason: the world-famous Parthenon sculptures, also known as the “Elgin Marbles.” Due to comments made by the Greek Prime Minister to the BBC, British Prime Minister Sunak canceled a meeting scheduled for today with his Greek counterpart at the last minute, according to reports. British broadcaster.

The cancellation came a day after Mitsotakis told the BBC that the artworks must be returned to Greece. Some of the 2,500-year-old sculptures are on display in the British Museum in London and some in Athens.

Mitsotakis likens this division to “cutting the Mona Lisa in half.” A Conservative Party source told the BBC that “it has become impossible to move forward with the meeting after Mitsotakis’ statements.” “Our position is clear. The Elgin Marbles are part of the permanent collection of the British Museum and therefore belong to it.”

A spokesman for Mitsotakis said the Greek Prime Minister was “disappointed that Prime Minister Sunak canceled the meeting at the last minute.” “Greece and Britain have a very long history of friendship and cooperation. The Greek government is very surprised by this decision,” the spokesman said.

The planned meeting will last about 45 minutes. The conference will discuss “the conflict between Israel and Gaza, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, climate change, migration and of course sculptures,” the spokesman said.

As an alternative to meeting with Sunak, the Greek Prime Minister was offered a meeting with the British Deputy Prime Minister. Mitsotakis declined, and will return to Greece later today.

The two countries were unable to agree on the art treasures for some time. The sculptures were located in the Parthenon in Athens, but at the beginning of the 19th century they were shipped to London. This was done by the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin.

The works were purchased by the British government in 1816 and were subsequently housed in the British Museum. The sculptures are seen as one of the most famous looted works of art calling for their return to their country of origin.

Sculptures found in Athens are displayed in the Parthenon Gallery of the Acropolis Museum. This gallery was created specifically for photos from ten years ago. In addition to the original marble sculptures, there are plaster copies of pieces in the British Museum and other museums abroad.

The British Museum said earlier that it was looking “for some kind of arrangement to display some sculptures in Greece temporarily.” But in order to reach such agreements, “things have to come here from Greece.” According to the BBC, it will certainly take months before such a decision is made.