Xi: Sculptures belong to Greece


Enduring art: Xi and his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos admiring a 2,500-year-old statue at the Acropolis Museum in Athens. — AP

Athens: Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, wading into a decades-old dispute between the countries over the ownership of the sculptures.

The ancient friezes, which include depictions of battles between mythical ancient Greeks and centaurs, were taken by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and are now on display at the British Museum in London.Britain has always refused to return the carvings – often still known as the Elgin Marbles – arguing that they were taken with the permission of local Ottoman rulers at the time.Xi toured the Acropolis Museum, built partly to house the Parthenon Marbles, yesterday as part of his three-day visit to Athens and told his hosts that he agreed that the sculptures should be returned.

Win a prize this Mother's Day by subscribing to our annual plan now! T&C applies.

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

   

Next In Regional

Malaysia needs time to study Asean joint visa proposal, says Home Minister
Mt Ruang: Last eruptions before Wednesday occurred in 2002, 1949
Thailand drops joint patrols with Chinese police after public backlash
Cops on the hunt for cable thieves in Ayer Hitam
Najib wanted to answer questions on money laundering in court, says investigating officer
Hearing for Siti Bainun's appeal against conviction postponed to Jan 30 next year
Biker ambushed by a tiger near Gua Musang, lives to tell his tale
Historic day for human rights in Malaysia, says Azalina
Many workers in boycott-hit companies are locals, says Rayer
Two nabbed for launching fireworks at police in Lembah Subang

Others Also Read