The problem of the return of the Parthenon Sculptures, which has been firmly on its agenda for 40 years, was mentioned on the twenty fourth Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Fee on the Return of Cultural Property to the International locations of Origin.
“The Greek delegation introduced intimately and completely the historical past of the case and Greece's positions on the difficulty of the Parthenon Sculptures,” the Ministry of Tradition says in its announcement.
And he notes: “Via the testimonies of vacationers and students of Elgin's time, he documented the violent elimination of the architectural sculptures from the monument.”
He emphasised the non-existence of a firman and associated sultanic paperwork and the unlawful appropriation of the Sculptures by Lord Elgin, earlier than they ended up within the British Museum.
He significantly identified the difficulty of the mistreatment of the Parthenon throughout their keep within the British Museum and their poor storage situations, already within the nineteenth century. till at this time.
He knowledgeable the members of the Fee in regards to the ongoing, however to date fruitless, efforts of the Greek facet to enter right into a dialogue with the UK with a view to discover a resolution to this long-standing difficulty, in accordance with UNESCO's Suggestions and Choice.
He said that the Parthenon Sculptures and the symbolism they include are an integral a part of the Greek cultural heritage and Greek cultural id.
Lastly, he referred to as on the UK, which is a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the primary time, to show in observe its will to adjust to the Suggestions and Choices of the Worldwide Group.
The UK, in its personal place, insisted on its fastened positions on the matter, reiterating that the legislative framework in pressure doesn’t permit the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece, stressing that “there isn’t a intention of the federal government to alter the precise legislation”, continues the assertion of the Ministry of Overseas Affairs.
And he provides: “The presentation of the Greek delegation and its arguments have been warmly acquired and the overwhelming majority of the member states of the Intergovernmental Committee (Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia, Libya, Iraq, India, Chile, Venezuela, Panama, Guatemala, Gabon, Zambia, Egypt), but in addition observer states (Turkey, Palestine, Nicaragua, Honduras, Brazil) strongly supported the Greek positions and emphatically requested the UK to return the Sculptures to Greece, with a view to reunite them with the Parthenon, a monument- image of Western Civilization”.
The Intergovernmental Committee adopted a Suggestion, within the textual content of which, amongst different issues:
• Refers to its earlier suggestions and selections;
• Expresses its deep concern that the decision of the matter stays pending for a very long time,
• Calls as soon as once more on the 2 sides to accentuate their efforts to resolve the dispute making an allowance for the historic, cultural, authorized and ethical dimensions of the difficulty,
• Calls on the Director Basic of UNESCO to assist maintain the required conferences between Greece and the UK with a view to attain a mutually acceptable resolution to the difficulty of the Parthenon Sculptures.
• Decides to incorporate the difficulty of the Sculptures within the agenda of the twenty fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee.
The Greek delegation was attended by the Secretary Basic of Tradition Georgios Didaskalou, the Basic Director of the Acropolis Museum Prof. Nikolaos Stampolidis, the Director Basic of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Olympia Vikatos and the Head of the Directorate of Documentation and Safety of Cultural Property Vasiliki Papageorgiou. From the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, the top of the Division of Worldwide Legislation, Artemis Papathanasiou, and from the Everlasting Delegation of Greece to UNESCO, the everlasting consultant, Ambassador Georgios Koumoutsakos, participated.
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