UK's Sunak snubs Greek PM at last minute amid ancient sculpture dispute

LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a scheduled meeting with Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday amid a diplomatic dispute about the Parthenon Sculptures.

Greece has long maintained that the 2,500-year-old sculptures, removed by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and currently held in the British Museum, should be returned.

The statues, also known as the Elgin Marbles, have been a source of disagreement between the two nations for centuries.

Mitsotakis told the BBC on Sunday that renewed talks over a possible loan deal for the sculptures were not progressing quickly enough, and that the British Museum continuing to hold some of the artefacts while the rest remain in Athens is like cutting the "Mona Lisa in half."

Sunak snubbed the Greek leader on the eve of their planned diplomatic meeting. No reason for the cancellation was publicly communicated.

After the intended meeting, Sunak's office said that the two countries need to work together to tackle global challenges such as illegal migration, and that there were no plans to return the statues, according to multiple media outlets. The prime minister's spokesperson also reportedly said that U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden had been offered up to meet Mitsotakis.

"I express my dismay that the British Prime Minister canceled our scheduled meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mitsotakis said in a Google-translated statement on Monday.

"Anyone who believes in the correctness and justice of their positions is never afraid of opposing arguments."

CNBC has contacted Downing Street for comment.

The British government has always maintained that the marbles were legally acquired. A domestic law blocks the British Museum from permanently removing objects from its collection outside of particular circumstances, but does not prohibit a possible loan agreement.