22 August 2019 during a State visit to France, Greece's Prime Minister Mitsotakis asked President Macron for the loan from the Louvre of a metope.This request was made for Greece's bicentennial independence celebrations in 2021. The Louvre would, in return, receive a collection of bronze artefacts from Greece. 

Paul Cartledge, professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge and the vice chairman of the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and the IARPS (International Association) commented to The Art Newspaper: " We hope for and expect much more: the reunification in the Acropolis Museum of all bits of the Parthenon held in museums outside Greece—not only [the sculptures] from the British Museum. The Greek government will certainly reciprocate most handsomely with spectacular loans, such as those going to the Louvre no doubt will be.”

To read The Art Newspaper article, please follow the link here.

On 22 March, Alexander Herman wrote an article also in The Art Newspaper explaining the difficulties that surround recognition and admission of title. If the British Museum were ever to consider a long-term loan of the pieces, Greece would need to first accept that the trustees hold title, an acceptance successive Greek governments have never been willing to make.

"But title need not be so contentious. Perhaps the Greek government could accept the simple premise that the trustees hold title under English law, but go no further? This would not have to relate to the circumstances of acquisition in Athens. It need only be a recognition that a run-of-the-mill Act of Parliament settled the question of English title back in 1816. Likewise, the British Museum would need to understand that title is a nationally derived right and does not automatically guarantee rights at an international level. This could perhaps allow the parties to put the question of title aside" writes Alexander Herman.

While a loan might not result in Greece's long awaited permanent restitution, it would bring some pieces back to the Acropolis Museum, where they would be seen by millions in their original context with views to the Parthenon, which still stands. Marking a memorable event and breaking of the deadlock by starting a dialogue between London and Athens.

Read more on this article here.

31 August & 01 September Helena Smith reported in the Guardian and Observer that Prime Minister Mitsotakis would be looking for a loan from the British Museum to coincide with Greece's bicentennial independence celebrations in 2021.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis explained that “given the significance of 2021, I will propose to Boris: ‘As a first move, loan me the sculptures for a certain period of time and I will send you very important artefacts that have never left Greece to be exhibited in the British Museum’.”

Adding: “Of course our demand for the return of the sculptures remains in place. I don’t think [Britain] should be fighting a losing battle. Eventually this is going to be a losing battle. At the end of the day there is going to be mounting pressure on this issue.”

There are 21,000 known archaeological sites in Greece,” said the culture minister, Lina Mendoni, a classical archaeologist. “We have 10 times more than we can possibly exhibit. Almost every day something valuable is found. We want to export these cultural assets.”

Read the updated Guardian (04 September 2019) article here.

Geraldine Kendall Adams wrote on 16 May, in the Museums Journal that British Museum Director, Nicholas Cullinan has ruled out restitution as he outlines plans to foster collaboration. 

In an interview with The Times, Nicholas Cullinan said he had no plans to change the museum’s policy against permanently deaccessioning artefacts, which would require an act of parliament.

“I could make lobbying to get the act changed my sole focus but that seems mad, and it may not be the right thing,” he told the newspaper.

“I’m keenly aware that whatever I do future generations will debate, so I feel more comfortable with loaning items. This collection has been formed over three centuries. It is the world’s greatest collection. I don’t see my job as undoing that.”

Cullinan, who has been in the role for just over a year, said the museum had built strong partnerships around the world, and saw its future in “collaboration”.

He said: “The British Museum is about connecting countries rather than putting up barriers. This is a global museum for everyone and we’re not going to be embarrassed about that any more. We are going to foster collaboration around the world.”

Referencing the museum’s most famous and long-running restitution dispute, the Parthenon marbles, he described the sculptures as “talismanic objects of the British Museum” and said that, while the museum doesn’t shy away from the fact that they are in dispute, “we need to be balanced rather than inflammatory”.

Cullinan gave his backing to the proposed plan for the museum to form a lending arrangement with Greece, which is still under negotiation, saying it would be a partnership that would “build in trust and depth”.

“Plans are taking shape,” he said. “We’d love an innovative partnership with Greece where we would lend things and they would lend things back, and we can share knowledge and opportunity rather than debate ownership.”

Cullinan's comments on the Parthenon sculptures have been criticised by the British Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles.

In a letter responding to the remarks, which was published in part by The Times, the committee's members wrote that it had been “dismaying to read the implications of the director's description of the sculptures as 'talismanic objects of this museum'”, saying “a talisman is something that brings good luck. How can stolen goods bring good fortune to any institution?”

The letter added: “Simply in terms of diplomacy, we believe it would be a tragic error to position these disputed sculptures at the centre of the 'reimagining' of the museum. This reimagining should surely be excited rather by the prospect of showing off wonderful objects never seen before in the UK, promised by Greece once returned.

“Greece is one of our strongest allies and it is surely not the time to insult that friendship. We hope that talks vis a vis some mutually constructive arrangement continue and will have a positive outcome for both countries.”