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The Greek Prime Minister has rejected a meeting with UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden after it was offered instead of talks with Rishi Sunak.
A dispute arose over the repatriation of the Parthenon sculptures.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece's prime minister, said he was "deeply disappointed" by the sudden cancellation of a meeting with Sunak in London in which he had planned to raise the issue of the sculptures. A cabinet minister said on Monday that a meeting with Dowden on Tuesday had been offered to Mitsotakis but it was "not possible" for it to happen.
"This is a matter of regret. That offer was made," said Mark Harper, the transport minister.
He added: "But the government made its position on the Elgin marbles very clear, which is that they should remain as part of the British Museum's permanent collection."
The sculptures were removed in circumstances that remain disputed at the behest of Lord Elgin, then the UK ambassador to the Ottoman court. The antiquities were sent to London between 1801 and 1804 and sold to the British Museum in 1816.
Mitsotakis, who is understood to have flown home instead of meeting Dowden, said: “I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister canceled our planned meeting hours before it was due to take place.
"Greece and Britain are united by traditionally strong ties of friendship and the framework of our bilateral relations is extremely broad. Greek views on the Parthenon sculptures are well known. I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart along with other international challenges: Gaza, Ukraine, the climate crisis, migration.
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