Tsipras urges PM to demand the permanent return of the Parthenon marbles, with support from all parties

Main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for his proposition regarding the "loan" of the Parthenon Marbles held at the British Museum, calling it "naive, to say the least", and urged the government to demand their permanent return to Greece.

"Mr Mitsotakis's naive, to say the least, initiative for the loan of the Parthenon Marbles allows the British Museum to appear today as their rightful owner," Tsipras said in a post on Facebook, adding: "However, as the issues of defending our cultural heritage are more important than domestic political confrontations, I will not dwell on the government's mistake."

He continued: "But I would urge the government to stop adding grist to the British mill and instead of sending letters to the Museum for loans to demand, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution and with the support of us all, the permanent return of the Parthenon marbles."