“Weak” Rishi Sunak was blasted as we speak for snubbing the Greek Prime Minister within the newest spat over the two,500-year-old Elgin Marbles.
The British PM was on account of maintain talks in No10 together with his Hellenic counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. But Downing Street cancelled the assembly amid fears the Greek chief would break a supposed pledge to not carry up the long-running row over the artefacts, which Athens calls the Parthenon Sculptures.
A Labour spokesman stated: “To pick a fight with a NATO ally for the sake of a headline shows just how weak Rishi Sunak is. The Prime Minister should have been talking about the economy, immigration, the Middle East – that’s what the country would expect from a leader but Rishi Sunak is no leader.”
The diplomatic spat got here after Mr Mitsotakis used an interview forward of the anticipated talks to push for the return of the Elgin Marbles, saying the present state of affairs was just like the Mona Lisa portray being reduce in half.
Athens has lengthy demanded the return of the historic works which have been faraway from Greece by Lord Elgin within the early nineteenth century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. They are at the moment housed on the British Museum.
In a press release, a spokesman for Mr Mitsotakis stated: “The Prime Minister is disappointed that Prime Minister Sunak cancelled their bilateral meeting at the 11th hour today. Greece and Britain have a very deep history of friendship and co-operation, and the Greek government is extremely surprised by this decision. The Prime Minister was looking forward to discussing a range of topics of mutual interest including the Israel/Gaza conflict, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, climate change, as well as common challenges such as migration, and of course the Parthenon Sculptures.”
Mr Mitsotakis, in a press release revealed on X, previously Twitter, spoke of his “dismay” the assembly had been cancelled “just hours before it was due to take place”. According to a web based translation, he stated: “Anyone who believes in the correctness and justice of their positions is never afraid of opposing arguments.”
Shadow Policing Minister Alex Norris informed Sky News: “It seems a bit unnecessary, I think, for our Government to be acting in that way.” Asked about claims the assembly was scrapped as a result of Mr Mitsotakis met Keir Starmer earlier than he was on account of meet the OM, Mr Norris stated: “If that’s the reason for it, then it’s extraordinary.
“I imply, I assumed the logic that we heard in a single day that the Prime Minister did not need to focus on that subject, I assumed that was fairly skinny. If it is about that, then I’d be very shocked certainly. Ultimately, Greece is a big, essential strategic ally of ours on the problem of migration, which after all Rishi Sunak talks about every single day. Similarly on the economic system, cultural points, with a number of Greek individuals who reside on this nation and vice versa. So, after all he ought to be assembly with the Prime Minister when he is on this nation. I’m very, very shocked that he hasn’t.”
A Cabinet Minister said the Greeks were offered a meeting with Rishi Sunak’s number two Oliver Dowden instead. “The Deputy Prime Minister provided to satisfy the Greek Prime Minister as we speak and it proved not doable to make that occur. That’s a matter of remorse; that supply was made,” Transport Secretary Mark Harper informed BBC Breakfast. “But the Government set out its position about the Elgin Marbles very clearly, which is they should stay as part of the permanent collection of the British Museum.” Asked whether or not it amounted to a snub by Mr Sunak, Mr Harper stated: “I’ve set out the position. I can keep repeating it.”