“To our homeland are now returning 48 objects of priceless cultural, spiritual, but also emotional value,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed during his speech at the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki, on the occasion of the signing of the protocols of the cultural exchange agreement between Greece and Bulgaria.
As the prime minister stated, these are sacred icons and crosses, vestments, a reliquary, as well as the episcopal throne, heirlooms that had been removed in 1917, amid the turmoil of World War I, from the Metropolis of Serres and Nigrita and the monasteries of Saint John the Forerunner and Panagia Eikosifoinissa.
The objects will initially be housed at the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki and will then return to their historic homes.
At the same time, as Mr. Mitsotakis noted, Greece is fulfilling its own side of the agreement by handing over to Bulgaria the remains of Tsar Samuel and the bones from four sarcophagi, which had been excavated in 1964 by Professor Moutsopoulos at the Basilica of Saint Achilleios.
The time for justice has come
Kyriakos Mitsotakis linked the principle of the integrity of monuments with Greece’s claim for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles, stressing that archaeological and cultural evidence cannot be detached from the natural and cultural environment in which they were created.
“They are not inanimate objects of yesterday. They are testimonies in a living and unbreakable connection with the natural and cultural landscape that gave birth to them,” he said, adding that their removal distorts their historical substance and historical truth itself.
Referring specifically to the Parthenon Marbles, the prime minister underlined that the Greek position “is not dictated by a vague national claim,” nor does it question the mission of museums around the world.
“The Parthenon constitutes a unique and self-contained case,” he noted, pointing out that the issue cannot be limited to legal or technical dimensions, but concerns the restoration of the aesthetic and conceptual integrity of a universal monument.
“The Parthenon Marbles must coexist and be exhibited together, maintaining direct visual contact with the rock for which they were carved,” he said, while also underlining the role played by the Acropolis Museum.
Mr. Mitsotakis repeated that Greece will not accept arrangements that would imply recognition of foreign sovereignty over the Marbles or their return in the form of a loan.
“The time has come for truth, reason, justice and also morality,” he stressed.
Then, the prime minister referred to Greek-Bulgarian relations, noting that the two peoples have coexisted in the same region for fifteen centuries, in a historical course that included conflicts, divisions and trials.
“We do not idealize history, nor should we erase it. We must, however, learn from its dark pages, favoring what unites us: our common cultural and religious root, the mutual recognition of the other’s identity, but above all our common tomorrow,” he said.
Mr. Mitsotakis described bilateral relations between Greece and Bulgaria as better than ever, noting that there is room for even closer cooperation in a number of areas, such as trade, energy, tourism, the environment, water management and culture.
“In a troubled world, let us therefore make our cooperation an example of security, stability and progress. And today’s agreement the first step, the seal on this optimistic choice,” he said, closing his speech with a message to his Bulgarian counterpart:
“Thank you and welcome to Thessaloniki”
SOURCE: ERT