Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, accompanied by his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotaki, met at the Maximos Mansion, his official residence, with Lebanese-British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who is in Athens for UNESCO’s Annual Meeting of Goodwill Ambassadors, taking place later Thursday.
Government sources said that during the meeting, they discussed issues of culture and cultural diplomacy, including the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures with the Parthenon, an issue with which Clooney has been extensively involved in the past.
Earlier Thursday, Clooney, the wife of American actor and filmmaker George Clooney, met with Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas, whose role is largely ceremonial.
Tassoulas reminded Clooney that 12 years ago, when he was Minister of Culture, he had commissioned the law firm Doughty Street Chambers, where the human rights lawyer works, to prepare a study on the terms for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
“And I have to admit,” he emphasized, “that your contribution with the opinion you submitted regarding the reunification of the Sculptures was truly critical. It helped deepen the understanding of the core of the issue, because it’s not just a matter of returning the art, nor is it about a loss or win for the UK. The reunification of the Sculptures with the Parthenon is a grand gesture, and that’s something the British side needs to understand.”
