Press Release

At their meeting in Athens on the occasion of the inauguration of the New Acropolis Museum, the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures discussed a number of possible initiatives & plans for the future, of which more detail will be revealed in due course. It was also agreed to amend the organisation's constitution to create a larger five person executive which can handle the day to day running of the Association and deal more rapidly with issues as a new chapter opens in the history of the campaign. The members elected to the executive are as follows:

Chair:
David Hill (Australia) was re-elected.

Vice Chairs:
Professor Dusan Sidjanski (Switzerland) was elected.
Anna Marangou (Cyprus) was elected.

Secretary:
Dennis Menos (USA) was re-elected.

Treasurer:
Matthew Taylor (Marbles Reunited) was elected.

At the end of the meeting, a pres conference was held & a statement was issued to the press by the International Association outlining their vision for the future of the campaign.

In the week before the New Acropolis Museum opens, the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures has written to both the British Museum & the British Government, reminding them of some of the facts surrounding the marbles.

June 2009

On behalf of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures I would like to draw to your attention to the inauguration on June 20, 2009, of the magnificent new Acropolis Museum, which provides an ideal opportunity for the Parthenon sculptures currently held in the British Museum to be returned to Greece.

We believe the Parthenon sculptures could be returned to Athens in an arrangement that could be mutually beneficial to both Greece and the British Museum.

The International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures has member organisations in sixteen countries, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. (www.parthenoninternational.org).  The International Association is a powerful indication of the growing and now overwhelming support around the world for the Parthenon sculptures to be returned to Greece.

The new Acropolis Museum has been designed specifically to allow for the proper exhibition of all of the surviving two and a half thousand- year - old sculptures of the Parthenon in their original configuration. This cannot be done in the Duveen Gallery of the British Museum, which is too small even for the Elgin collection to be correctly exhibited.

Also, more people now visit the Acropolis each year than visit the Parthenon Sculptures in the Duveen Gallery of the British Museum. The opening of the new Acropolis Museum and the prospect of reuniting the currently dispersed collection of Parthenon sculptures will provide yet further accessibility for the people of the world to study and enjoy the wonders of Classical Greece. The event also provides an opportunity for collaboration between two great cultures and two great institutions, the symbolism of which would further advance the standing of the British Museum as a museum of the twenty first century.

We would urge the British Museum to now investigate ways in which a cultural exchange agreement with Greece involving the return of the Parthenon sculptures could yield benefits to both the British Museum as well as Greece.

Yours sincerely,

David Hill

Chairman, International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures

NEWS UPDATE
January 02nd, 2009

Two More Countries join the Campaign for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures

Organisations from two more countries have joined the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

The addition of Switzerland and Finland in December 2008 brings the membership of the International Association to 17 committees from 16 countries. All these committees have been formed with the objective of supporting the return of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece.

Switzerland and Finland join Marbles Reunited from Britain as the new members for 2008.

The Chairman of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, David Hill (Australia), said that the consistent expansion of the association membership since it was formed in 2005 is a powerful reminder of the widespread and growing support in Britain and around the world for the Parthenon Sculptures to be returned to Greece.

The International Association now has member orgnaistions in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain (the British Committee for the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures and Marbles Reunited), Canada, Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Germany, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

NEWS UPDATE
December 29th, 2008

Today it was announced that The Finnish Committee the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles (Parthenonin Veistosten Palauttamiskomitea Ry) has joined the International Association for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

The Chairman of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, David Hill said he welcomed the addition of the organisation to the international campaign. The Executive of the Finnish committee includes:

President: Ole Norrback, ex Finnish ambassador at Athens

Vice President: Mika Kajava, Professor of classical languages

Secretary: Mika Rissanen, History teacher and non-fiction writer

Treasurer: Teodora Oker-Blom, Science library manager

The International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures now has seventeen members from sixteen countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. Contact details for the Finnish Committee can be found on their members page.

NEWS UPDATE
December 15th, 2008

Today it was announced that The Swiss Committee the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (Comité Suisse pour le Retour des Marbres du Parthénon) has joined the International Association for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures.

The Chairman of the International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures, David Hill said he welcomed the addition of the organisation to the international campaign. The Executive of the Swiss committee includes:

President: Professor Dusan Sidjanski

Vice President: Me Olivier Vodoz

Secretary: Fabrizio Micalizzi

Treasurer: Michèle Lubicz-Davet

The International Association for the Reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures now has sixteen members from fifteen countries including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the USA. Contact details for the Swiss Committee can be found on their members page.