Turkey Backs Greece’s Claim to Elgin Marbles

Turkey has backed Greece’s claim over the Elgin Marbles, disputing the UK’s argument that the sculptures were legally acquired during the time of the Ottoman Empire. Speaking at a Unesco intergovernmental committee summit, Turkish representative Zeynep Boz told the delegates she is “not aware of any document” that legitimises that purchase of the marbles by British “colonists” at that time. Greece has long demanded the return of the historic works, which were removed by Lord Elgin from occupied Athens in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. The UK has maintained that Lord Elgin had legally purchased the sculptures, based on a historic document written in Italian, although such a record is missing from surviving documents from the Ottoman Empire....