Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised the issue of the return of the Parthenon sculptures to Greece in his speech at the commemorative event marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of UNESCO.

«There can be no dialogue between nations if there is no dialogue between cultures, which presupposes respect for the history, heritage and identity of each nation. In my opinion, this means that iconic monuments, which are inextricably linked to the identity of a nation, should be the concern of that nation.

Let us examine the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures, which constitute an extremely important part of the world's cultural heritage, while at the same time they are perhaps the most important symbolic link between modern Greeks and their ancestors,» Mitsotakis said.

The Prime Minister noted that most of this collection is on display at the Acropolis Museum, a few hundred metres from the Parthenon. «The fact that one can see the Parthenon Sculptures at this point, in their birthplace, visually linked to the monument, which gives them their universal radiance, is something of great importance,» he continued, underlining: «However, as long as part of the collection remains «exiled» in London, this dimension cannot be fully appreciated. For this reason, I believe it is essential that the Parthenon Sculptures in London are reunited with the greater part of the Parthenon Sculpture collection in Athens.

Last September, a key step was taken by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Promotion of the Return of Cultural Property.

For the first time, it unanimously adopted a decision recognising that ‘the case is intergovernmental in nature and, therefore, the obligation to return the Parthenon Sculptures is entirely for the UK government’.»

Kyriakos Mitsotakis added that the UK should engage in a good faith dialogue with Greece.

«And I ask them to do it. After all, this year marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Struggle for Greek Independence. There could be no better time than this for the return of the missing part and the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures in the place where they were born, Greece,‘ he said.

On the occasion of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of UNESCO at its headquarters in Paris, the Prime Minister said that it is an excellent opportunity «to reaffirm the commitment of our countries to the founding spirit of this important International Organization: the building of peace among peoples through the exchange and reciprocity of moral and spiritual virtues, as Aristotle would say».

Mitsotakis stressed that Greece was one of the founding members of UNESCO.

«It is not only our confidence in the principles of multilateral cooperation that explains our commitment. It is also our conviction that there can be neither peace nor prosperity without dialogue among nations around these three fundamental pillars: education, science and culture,» he added.

We believe, he said, in education, which is the only way to understand the workings of an increasingly complex world.

We also believe, he said, in the countless possibilities offered by science and technology and referred to the inauguration of the project «Ancient Olympia: Common Place» this week.

«A unique partnership with Microsoft that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and opens up new ways to a whole new experience of how we can get in touch with our cultural heritage and what it stands for.

One can now experience the size and depth of Olympia, as it was in the past, in the archaeological site itself or remotely, from anywhere in the world, using the latest augmented reality tools,» he added.

He also said that we are talking about harnessing innovation to open up new ways of preserving cultural heritage and enabling citizens to get in touch with it - an increasingly vital mission at a time of great change.

«Because climate change, environmental pollution and international conflicts affect our present and shape our future. But they also have serious implications for our shared past. Changes in the environment and extreme weather events pose an immediate and growing threat to our great cultural monuments. It is this threat that has convinced us of the need to take action, so we have taken the decision to present an initiative that we consider important, called ‘Addressing the Impact of Climate Change on Cultural and Natural Heritage’,» he underlined, while thanking UNESCO for its invaluable support to Greece's initiative and stressing our commitment to its third pillar, culture.

Speech by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the commemorative event for the 75th anniversary of the founding of UNESCO

Mr. President,

Heads of State and Government,

Madam Director General,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is truly a great honour for me to be among you here in Paris, the City of Light and UNESCO headquarters, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding.

It is an excellent opportunity to reaffirm our countries' commitment to the founding spirit of this important International Organization: the building of peace among peoples through the exchange and reciprocity of moral and spiritual virtues, as Aristotle would say.

Greece was one of the founding members of UNESCO. It is not only our confidence in the principles of multilateral cooperation that explains our commitment. It is also our conviction that there can be neither peace nor prosperity without dialogue between nations around these three fundamental pillars: education, science and culture.

We believe in education: it is the only way to understand the workings of an increasingly complex world.

We also believe, ladies and gentlemen, in the countless possibilities offered by science and technology. Earlier this week, in Olympia, we saw the power of technology, with the inauguration of the project «Ancient Olympia: Common Place», a unique collaboration with Microsoft that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and opens up new ways to a whole new experience of how we can engage with our cultural heritage and what it symbolizes.

One can now experience the size and depth of Olympia as it was in the past, in the archaeological site itself or remotely, from anywhere in the world, using the latest augmented reality tools.
We are talking about harnessing innovation to open up new ways of preserving cultural heritage and enabling citizens to get in touch with it - an increasingly vital mission at a time of great change.

Because climate change, environmental pollution and international conflicts affect our present and shape our future. But they also have serious implications for our shared past.

Changes in the environment and extreme weather events pose an immediate and growing threat to important cultural monuments. It is this threat that has convinced us of the need to take action, so we have taken the decision to present an initiative we consider important, called «Addressing the impact of climate change on cultural and natural heritage».

I would like to thank UNESCO for its invaluable support to our initiative. Of course, we cannot fail to stress the importance of and our commitment to UNESCO's third pillar: culture.

There can be no dialogue between nations if there is no dialogue between cultures, which implies respect for the history, heritage and identity of each nation. In my opinion, this means that iconic monuments, which are inextricably linked to the identity of a nation, should be the business of that nation.

Most of this collection is exhibited in the Acropolis Museum, a few hundred metres from the Parthenon. The fact that the Parthenon Sculptures can be seen at this point, in their birthplace, visually linked to the monument that gives them their universal radiance, is something of great importance.

However, as long as part of the collection remains «exiled» in London, this dimension cannot be fully appreciated. For this reason, I believe it is essential that the Parthenon Sculptures in London be reunited with the bulk of the Parthenon Sculpture collection in Athens.

Last September, a key step was taken by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Promotion of the Return of Cultural Property.

For the first time, it unanimously adopted a decision recognising that «the case is intergovernmental in nature and, therefore, the obligation to return the Parthenon Sculptures is entirely for the UK government».

The UK should engage in a good faith dialogue with Greece. And I ask them to do so. After all, this year marks the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Struggle for Greek Independence. There could be no better time than this to return the missing part and reunite the Parthenon Sculptures in their birthplace, Greece.

Thank you.