Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made Greece's position on the Parthenon Sculptures unmistakably clear on Sunday...

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made Greece's position on the Parthenon Sculptures unmistakably clear on Sunday, declaring that his country will not accept any arrangement that implies foreign ownership of its own cultural heritage. Speaking in Thessaloniki at the Byzantine Culture Museum, he said Greece will not "borrow" what already belongs to it. The remarks came during the signing of a protocol between Greece and Bulgaria for the return of 48 historical artifacts to Greece. Mitsotakis used the occasion to draw a direct line between that agreement and the broader campaign to reunite the Parthenon Sculptures, calling the Parthenon "a singular and unique case" that cannot be reduced to legal technicalities. He described the monument as "violently dismembered" and said the sculptures must be displayed together, in direct visual contact with the Acropolis rock from which they were carved. The Acropolis Museum, he said, was built precisely to serve that purpose. Mitsotakis rejected the loan arrangement model that the British Museum has signaled openness to, saying Greece will not accept any deal that implies recognition of foreign sovereignty over the marbles. He called this moment one "of truth, reason, justice, and ethics," and pushed back against any framing of the Greek position as a vague territorial claim, stressing it does not challenge the mission of museums around the world. The protocol was also signed by Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni and her Bulgarian counterpart Eftim Milosev. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, speaking at the same ceremony, called the agreement "historic" and said the two countries had built a strong axis of strategic cooperation over recent decades. The 48 returned artifacts are currently on display at the Byzantine Culture Museum in Thessaloniki through November 5. #ParthenonSculptures #Greece #Mitsotakis