Greek FM to retrieve through diplomacy what was lost in ancient wars

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Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias welcomed Austria's initiative to return two Parthenon fragments to Greece, after a meeting with his Austrian counterpart. 

"We discussed the need to raise awareness and to enhance effectiveness, at the international level, in combating illicit trafficking of cultural goods and in protecting cultural heritage. And, to this end, please allow me to express my deep satisfaction for the announcement you have just made during your remarks, having to do with the Parthenon fragments, the two fragments here in Vienna, rather big ones; one is 25cm [10 inches], the other one is 65cm," Dendias said.

Dendias emphasized that the return of the Parthenon fragments would be an important initiative and an appreciated gesture by Athens. 

"And I have to say, this will add to a series of highly symbolic gestures that may create positive momentum. The Regional Government of Sicily in 2022 and Pope Francis in January 2023 returned to Greece parts of the Parthenon Sculptures. So, this will be the third one. And this for us is of huge importance," Dendias noted. 

Vienna's national museum has reportedly started negotiating the return of two Parthenon marbles to Greece, according to the Greek broadcaster Skai. 

Read more: Truss rejects repatriating Parthenon marbles to Greece

Back in March, Pope Francis returned three ornately carved fragments that once adorned the Parthenon to Greece from the Vatican; the sculptures were then unveiled on the upper floor of the Acropolis Museum. 

For more than two centuries, the repatriated artifacts were housed in the Vatican Museums. The fragments comprise the heads of a boy, a horse, and a bearded man carved 5,000 years ago.