23 Februray 2020, Opinion Editorial in the Guardian is headed: The Guardian view on the Parthenon marbles: not just a Brexit sideshow. A government that stresses the importance of national pride should understand Greek claims.

In a week were it seemed that every title under the sun was claiming Greece , with Italy’s backing, had inserted a special clause in the EU’s draft negotiating mandate for a trade deal with Britain. The clause called for the return of “unlawfully removed cultural objects” to their place of origin. It did not mention the marbles by name, and the move was explicitly directed at illegal trade in antiquities in London auction houses.

To read the full article in the Guardia please clik here.

Greece's offficial response to the media frenzy:
Greece distanced itself from suggestions that it planned to drag a centuries-old dispute over the return of the Parthenon marbles into Brexit negotiations.
Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Athens would keep up its campaign for the return of the 2,500-year-old treasures and would consider which tools could support its cause.
“Greece’s request for the return of the Parthenon marbles remains strong and it is not linked to a Brexit deal,” Mr Petsas said, asked if the issue could be a stumbling point in talks with Britain on its future relationship with the European Union.
“We’ll continue to call for their return and if this is a tool we can use, we’ll consider it in due course,” he said.