Exclusive: Johnson douses Greek hopes for return of Parthenon Marbles

Βy Yannis Andritsopoulos, London Correspondent for the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea ([email protected])

Boris Johnson has dashed Greece’s hopes of getting the Parthenon Marbles back, saying that the 2,500-year-old cultural treasures are “legally owned by the British Museum’s Trustees.”

In an exclusive interview with the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea, the British prime minister dismissed calls, including from his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for the sculptures to be returned to Athens.

“I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on the issue,” Mr Johnson said in his first public comments on the issue since becoming prime minister.

“But the UK Government has a firm longstanding position on the sculptures which is that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s Trustees since their acquisition,” he added, when asked if there is a chance of the Parthenon Marbles being returned to Greece.

Covid-19

Speaking to a European newspaper for the first time since his election in 2019, the British prime minister said that Covid-19 vaccines are providing optimism about overcoming the pandemic.

“We are fighting an unprecedented global pandemic so the last year has of course been very difficult,” he said, adding that “we are starting to see signs of hope thanks to the quantum leaps in science that have created not just one but several effective vaccines against coronavirus”.

He also repeated his pledge to “offer every adult in the UK a vaccine by the end of July”.

Mr Johnson made specific mention of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, “which was developed here in the UK with the help of British Government investment – a fact I am extremely proud of.”

Greek officials have said they hope to welcome British tourists from May. Under the UK government’s roadmap for easing coronavirus restrictions, people living in England could be permitted to take foreign holidays from May 17 at the earliest.

“I’m looking forward to a time, hopefully in the not too distant future, where the British people are again able to visit your beautiful country and experience everything Greece has to offer,” Mr Johnson said.

Post-Brexit

In a wide-ranging interview, the British premier insisted the post-Brexit trade deal he signed with the EU will be good for businesses and employment.

“We were very pleased to finalise a trade deal with the EU, our biggest yet worth ￡660 billion. The zero-tariff, zero-quota deal allows UK companies to continue doing business with our European friends,” he said adding that “the deal will drive jobs and prosperity across the whole continent and it brings with it new stability and certainty.”

When it was brought to his attention that many businesses and consumers in both the UK and the EU have been struggling with customs regulations and extra charges due to post-Brexit trade arrangements, Mr Johnson replied: “Both the EU and the UK were always clear that things would change on 1 January, even with a trade deal. So there is a responsibility on businesses to ensure they adapt, just as there is on both governments.”

Asked what the ‘Global Britain’ idea he has put forward entails, the prime minister said that “it is about serving our citizens and defending our values by extending the UK’s international influence”.

“In leaving the European Union we restored sovereign control over vital levers of foreign policy,” he stressed, adding that “we now have the power to impose independent national sanctions, allowing the UK to act swiftly and robustly; the UK was the first European country to sanction senior figures in Belarus after the stolen election.”

“This is the beginning of a new partnership with our European friends, one that builds on our common bonds of friendship and cooperation, but with the UK acting with an independent voice to speak on the things that matter to us,” Johnson said.

Cyprus & Turkey

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres plans to convene an informal five-plus-one meeting on the Cyprus issue in April, involving Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots and the three guarantor countries of Turkey, Greece and the UK.

Asked where his government stands on the Cyprus issue, Mr Johnson said that “the UK continues to be a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality and existing parameters as set out in relevant Security Council Resolutions”.

He added, however: “The UK believes these are broad enough to encompass a range of solutions.”

“We remain committed to working alongside our partners in the region and the UN to find a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said.

Asked whether he shares the concern expressed by the Greek and Cypriot leaders about Ankara’s behaviour in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, the prime minister said Britain is following developments in the region closely and was “concerned about the impact of recent events for regional stability”.

“I welcome the resumption of Greece-Turkey talks and urge all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy,” he added.

UK-Greek ties

Boris Johnson, who studied classics at Oxford, said he is “a keen scholar of Greek history” and stressed the country’s “important role in Europe, NATO and in a pivotal region connecting Europe to the Middle East.”

“Greece makes a crucial contribution to the world stage,” he said, adding that “2021 is a very exciting time to be reinvigorating our relationship with the Greek people.”

“We’re working closely with the Greek government to enhance the links between our people, particularly in higher education and on protecting the rights of thousands of British nationals who have made Greece their home.”

The British prime minister said that he is “keen” to expand the UK-Greece relationship “in areas such as health, culture, defence and climate change.”

Full interview follows

Q: Τhe UK has recorded the fastest vaccine rollout of any large country. On the other hand, it has the highest number of Covid-19 deaths in Europe. How do you assess your government’s response to the pandemic overall? Are you hopeful that people will return to normal life soon?

A: We are fighting an unprecedented global pandemic so the last year has of course been very difficult, as it has been for so many of our friends around the world, including in Greece.

We are starting to see signs of hope thanks to the quantum leaps in science that have created not just one but several effective vaccines against coronavirus. We aim to offer every adult in the UK a vaccine by the end of July.

But of course no country can be truly protected until every country is protected. That is why we have pledged the third highest amount of any country to COVAX, the international vaccines procurement pool to which Greece is also a donor. COVAX aims to distribute 1.3 billion vaccines to developing countries this year. The UK has also pledged the majority of any future surplus vaccines we have to COVAX.

This ambition will be helped in no small part by the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, which was developed here in the UK with the help of British Government investment – a fact I am extremely proud of. The AstraZeneca vaccine is being supplied at cost around the world, meaning it can cheaply and easily be rolled out even in countries with poor health infrastructure.

Q: Many businesses and consumers in both the UK and the EU have been struggling with customs regulations and extra charges due to post-Brexit trade arrangements. What kind of assurances can you give them that these issues will be addressed and resolved in the months ahead?

A: We were very pleased to finalise a trade deal with the EU, our biggest yet worth ￡660 billion. The zero-tariff, zero-quota deal allows UK companies to continue doing business with our European friends.

The deal will drive jobs and prosperity across the whole continent and it brings with it new stability and certainty.

Both the EU and the UK were always clear that things would change on 1 January, even with a trade deal. So there is a responsibility on businesses to ensure they adapt, just as there is on both governments.

We have been working closely with authorities and trade bodies in Greece so businesses there know what they need to do to continue to export successfully to the UK. We know the UK is an important market for Greece and we want it to stay that way.

Q: You have put forward the idea of Global Britain as the new project your country should focus on following its departure from the EU. What does Global Britain entail and how do you respond to critics that argue it is just a marketing slogan?

A: Global Britain is about serving our citizens and defending our values by extending the UK’s international influence. We have committed to being a burden-sharing and problem-solving nation which, far from retreating from our place on the world stage, stands together with our friends and allies to tackle shared challenges.

This ethos will be particularly important as we secure a global recovery and build back better from the coronavirus pandemic. And we’ve already demonstrated our commitment to it.

This year we hold the Presidency of the G7, which we are using to rally international action on vaccines and global health as well as standing up for our democratic values on issues such as the coup in Myanmar and human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

In leaving the European Union we restored sovereign control over vital levers of foreign policy.

We now have the power to impose independent national sanctions, allowing the UK to act swiftly and robustly; the UK was the first European country to sanction senior figures in Belarus after the stolen election.

And we remain committed to solving conflicts and shoring up stability around the world. That includes working alongside our partners in the region and the UN to find a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem.

This year the UK will also host the COP26 Climate Change Summit and we have the most ambitious climate change agenda in the world, putting ourselves firmly on the path to achieve Net Zero by 2050. I welcome the fact this is a target also shared by Greece.

Alongside Greece we are one of the nations that exceeds its NATO commitments on defence spending and we are working alongside our allies to protect our citizens and make the world a safer place.

Q: How do you envisage Greece and the UK strengthening their relationship in the post-Brexit era? What is your message to the Greek people and the hundreds of thousands of Greeks who either live or visit the UK each year?

A: This is the beginning of a new partnership with our European friends, one that builds on our common bonds of friendship and cooperation, but with the UK acting with an independent voice to speak on the things that matter to us.

2021 is of course a significant year for Greece and a very exciting time to be reinvigorating our relationship with the Greek people.

I am proud of the UK’s status as truly international society and the exchange of ideas and experiences enabled by the thousands of Greek people and others who come here to study, work and live makes the UK and the world a better place. We’re working closely with the Greek Government to enhance the links between our people, particularly in higher education and on protecting the rights of thousands of British nationals who have made Greece their home.

The last twelve months have proved the solid foundations our relationship is built on, as our governments have shared epidemiological data and worked together on travel restrictions to keep our people safe.

But it’s the breadth of the UK-Greece relationship that makes it so important and I’m keen to expand our relationship in areas such as health, culture, defence and climate change.

The UK-Greece trading relationship is worth €6.5bn a year and encompasses a great deal of things that may surprise you. For example, last year over €1.5m worth of British lemons were exported to Greece to be enjoyed in dishes like souvlaki and avgolemono. While here in the UK we enjoy a vast range of Greek products.

And I’m looking forward to a time, hopefully in the not too distant future, where the British people are again able to visit your beautiful country and experience everything Greece has to offer.

Q: As someone who has a keen interest in Greek history, you probably know that Greece is celebrating this year the bicentennial of its War of Independence. The UK was one of the three countries that fought against and defeated the Ottoman Navy in the crucial Battle of Navarino. How do you evaluate the historic importance of the Greek War of Independence and what is your view of Greece’s role in the world as it marks this important anniversary?

A: I am of course a keen scholar of Greek history, the decisive impact of Navarino on the success of the Greek War of Independence and Britain’s crucial role in it.

The Ancient Greeks founded western civilisation and gave us science, culture, philosophy, comedy, tragedy, poetry, mathematics, literature, democracy – to name just a few.

But modern Greece’s emergence on the international scene as an independent nation state has also had enormous significance for the world.

Greece plays an important role in Europe, NATO and in a pivotal region connecting Europe to the Middle East.

Despite some of the challenges the country has faced over the past two hundred years, Greece today is a well-governed, prosperous, creative, peace-loving international partner in the family of nations and makes a crucial contribution to the world stage.

Q: Many in the UK believe that Britain should return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, arguing that they deserve to be seen in their original setting in Athens. A few months ago, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis used a newspaper interview to make a direct plea to you to allow for the Marbles’ reunification. Is there a chance of the Parthenon Marbles being returned to Greece?

A: I understand the strong feelings of the Greek people – and indeed Prime Minister Mitsotakis – on the issue. But the UK Government has a firm longstanding position on the sculptures which is that they were legally acquired by Lord Elgin under the appropriate laws of the time and have been legally owned by the British Museum’s Trustees since their acquisition.

Q: The UK remains one of the guarantor powers for Cyprus. Given that discussions about the island’s reunification process will resume soon, could you tell me whether the UK still favours a bizonal, bicommunal federation on Cyprus and whether you share the concern expressed by the Greek and Cypriot leaders about Ankara’s behaviour in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean?

A: The UK continues to be a strong supporter of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, based on the internationally accepted model of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality and existing parameters as set out in relevant Security Council Resolutions. The UK believes these are broad enough to encompass a range of solutions.

Ultimately, it is for the sides to agree on the details of any final deal. A settlement will require the agreement of the two leaders, the support of Greece and Turkey and – critically – the support of each community.

This is something I worked hard on while I was Foreign Secretary and the current Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab visited Cyprus last month for discussions.

We completely back the UN Secretary General’s efforts to bring all the parties together.

As a NATO ally and long-standing partner of both Greece and Turkey, we are closely following developments in the area and were of course concerned about the impact of recent events for regional stability. I welcome the resumption of Greece-Turkey talks and urge all parties to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.

This interview was published in the Greek daily newspaper Ta Nea (www.tanea.gr) on 12 March 2021. 

?? 2021 Yannis Andritsopoulos and Ta Nea All Rights Reserved 

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