On Saturday, the new director of the British Museum offered to return the stolen Parthenon marble sculptures to Greece only as a short-term loan.
In an article in The Times, director George Osborne, a former Treasury secretary under the conservative Cameron, wrote primarily convinced that the marble statues had not been stolen.
“We are open to providing Elgin Marbles,” wrote Osborne, who took office in October, in an article entitled “Fairly proud of the British Museum”.
After an in-depth discussion of the current issues of “awakening” and the removal of monuments related to the slave trade in Britain, the former Treasury defended the British Museum as a link between world cultures.
“Of course there are those who question our right to exist,” Osborne wrote, adding, “They did it in 1753 and will do it again in 2021.”
“Of course, there are those who demand the return of things that, in their opinion, we have no right to keep. This is not news either. Lord Byron believed that the Elgin Marbles should be returned to the Parthenon. Our answer is no, ”he stressed.
He offered to lease the sculptures of the Parthenon to Greece with appropriate guarantees for their safety and return.
“We are open to lending our belongings wherever they can take care of them and ensure they are returned safely – which is what we do every year, including in Greece,” said Osborne on an issue that is very important for Greece and thousands the British.
In 2016, Janis Varoufakis was right when he called Osborne “especially inept“.
More Stories
Six Greek high school students win medals at International Mathematical Olympiad
Olympic Games: Greek Delegation Athletes Head to Paris
Big "police purge" on Athos