Greek premier says British premier’s cancelation of meeting would not affect relations

​​​​​​​ATHENS

The Greek premier said Wednesday that the canceling of a meeting by his British counterpart which was scheduled for Tuesday would not affect Anglo-Greek relations in the long term.

“I believe that this will not affect Greek-British relations in the long term, which have a significant historical depth,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the beginning of a meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Athens, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

“However, there was a positive side to the cancellation of this meeting. The fair request of Greece for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures gained more publicity, not only in the United Kingdom but also in world public opinion," he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended his decision to cancel the meeting with Mitsotakis and accused the Greek premier of trying to grandstand about the Parthenon Sculpture, according to the BBC.

“It had become clear the meeting was not to discuss substantive issues for the future,” he said during the Prime Minister’s Questions session in the British parliament.

Greek government sources said they have nothing more to add than what they already said regarding Sunak’s escalatory remarks, according to the Greek public broadcaster, ERT.

Mitsotakis announced late Monday that Sunak scuttled the meeting. “I express my dismay that the British Prime Minister canceled our scheduled meeting just hours before it was due to take place,” he said in a statement.

Sunak was reportedly taken aback by Mitsotakis, who in an interview with the BBC on Sunday, again called for the return of the Elgin Marbles.

The Parthenon Marbles, originally part of a frieze that decorated the ancient Parthenon temple at the Acropolis in Athens, were removed on orders of Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, in the early 19th century.

The exquisite ancient Greek sculptures depicting gods, heroes and mythical creatures have been housed in the British Museum for centuries, drawing millions of visitors annually.