The British Museum admits for the first time that negotiations were underway with the Greek side to return the Parthenon sculptures to Athens. “We have publicly stated that we are looking for new partnerships for the Parthenon with our friends in Greece, and as we enter the new year, constructive discussions continue,” a spokesman for the museum told the British newspaper The Telegraph.

The newspaper in its report describes the context of the proposal of the head of the British Museum, George Osborne, for a “cultural exchange” agreement with Greece, which provides for the long-term lease of part of the Sculptures in exchange for the presentation of Greek antiquities in the museum.

However, such an agreement, as the publication points out, will not resolve the issue of ownership, since the Greek side is firmly convinced that the Sculptures belong to Greece and therefore there can be no question of borrowing. A recent Bloomberg report, citing unnamed sources, describes a similar draft agreement to “rotate” the introduction of the Sculptors in Greece and return them to the UK. The publication notes that the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum are conducting preliminary negotiations, but the Greek side denies this.

However, the fact is that there are channels of communication between the Greek government and the British Museum on this matter. The problem for both sides is that the law (from 1963) governing the museum will not be changed to make it easier for the sculptors to return to Athens permanently. Both sides are looking for a legal formula that will satisfy both sides, and many are “pointing” in the direction of the return of the Fagan fragment from the Salina Sicilian Museum.