Donald Trump could play a pivotal role in securing the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, according to Adonis Georgiadis and Konstantinos Kyranakis, Member of Parliament and Secretary General of New Democracy, in an interview with American media outlet Breitbart News. The article addresses Greece’s long-standing demand for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and features excerpts from an interview given earlier this year by the Greek Minister of Health, alongside statements from Mr. Kyranakis.
“I am absolutely certain that President Trump, as the natural leader of the Western world, understands that he represents the spirit of the founders of American democracy. They were all highly educated men who held enormous respect for Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome — the civilizations from which they drew the values upon which they built American democracy and the American Republic,” Adonis Georgiadis told Breitbart News.
Georgiadis on the Parthenon Marbles: “Even the British aren’t saying ‘no’ to their return”
Mr. Georgiadis added that “not only here, but everywhere — all civilized people in the West, and not only in the West, but let’s talk about the West — support the return of the Marbles. There is not a single educated person in the world who doesn’t understand why the Marbles must be returned.”
“Even the British aren’t saying ‘no’,” he continued. “They’re not saying ‘we will never return them.’ They’re simply saying ‘let’s see if the time is right.’ Even the British side no longer argues that they hold them legally. If you go back to the beginning of the story, the British themselves accused Elgin of being a thief. However, he later left the Marbles to the museum in his will. Had he kept them in his garden, we would have had them back decades ago.”
This view is shared not only by Mr. Georgiadis, but also by other senior Greek officials who believe the American president has a unique historic opportunity — not only to strengthen his own political legacy, but also to help right a significant historical wrong, as the article notes.
Kyranakis: “Returning the Parthenon Marbles would leave Trump a legacy for the ages”
For his part, Konstantinos Kyranakis, MP and Secretary General of New Democracy, told Breitbart News that Donald Trump’s legacy would endure “for centuries” if he succeeded in persuading Britain to return the Parthenon Marbles. “If President Trump helped make this happen, his contribution would far exceed the boundaries of diplomacy,” Mr. Kyranakis stated.
“It would be one of those rare moments where political leadership serves civilization itself. It would prove that true leadership is measured not only by how it shapes the future, but by how it safeguards the foundations upon which that future is built. The reunification of the Parthenon Marbles would not rewrite history. It would complete it. We believe that President Trump, as the true leader of the West, has the opportunity to leave a legacy that will last for centuries.”
The article also features statements from Greek-British businessman Andrew A. David and the Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), Eddie Zemenides.
