Hans-Gert Pöttering, the president of the European Parliament has been shown around the New Acropolis Museum & spoke positively about it whilst on a visit to Greece.

From:
ERT

01 Jul 2009
Karamanlis-Pöttering Meeting

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis met Wednesday with Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, at Maximos Mansion. The two men discussed the developments in the European Union after the June European elections, the financial turmoil and the Lisbon Treaty. The Greek Premier thanked Pöttering, whose term is about to expire, for the excellent level of cooperation they had. Pöttering, on his part, praised Greece for its contribution to the strengthening of the institutions of the European Union with the ratification of the Treaty. After the meeting, the President of the European Parliament toured the New Acropolis Museum.

The two men exchanged views on the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the enhancement of the European Parliament’s role. Karamanlis assured Pöttering that Greece will support the work and initiatives of the European Parliament.
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More coverage of Greece’s response to statements made by the British Museum following the opening of the New Acropolis Museum.

From:
United Press International

Greece urges Britain to return sculptures
Published: June 22, 2009 at 10:27 AM

ATHENS, Greece, June 22 (UPI) — Greece used the opening of an Acropolis museum to renew its call to Britain to return sculptures taken from Athens’ Parthenon 200 years ago, authorities said.

Dimitris Pandermalis, director of the New Acropolis Museum, at an opening ceremony Saturday told Greek and world dignitaries now the time to rectify what he called an act of barbarism in the sculptures’ removal, the Athens News Agency reported Monday.
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The New Acropolis Museum has put the issue of the Parthenon Marbles in the international spotlight. There are now moves underway to build on this position & push forward on the wave of public opinion to implement new moves to deal with the situation. This was always the plan of the Greek Ministry of Culture – that the museum should be appreciated for what it was, without the press coverage dwelling on the Marbles issue, paving the way for the next chapter of the campaign once the dust had started to settle.

From:
Athens News Agency

06/22/2009
Karamanlis to brief President Papoulias

Prime Μinister Costas Karamanlis will pay a call on President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias shortly after noon on Monday. Karamanlis will brief the President on the outcome of the European Union summit late last week in Brussels, which mainly focused on the problem of illegal migration, and on the decisions taken.Earlier, Karamanlis will meet with visiting Vietnamese deputy prime minister and foreign minister Phan Gia Khiem. Οn Saturday, at his speech during the inauguration of the New Acropolis museum stressed “The Acropolis Museum is a reality for all Greeks; for all the people of the world. It is a modern monument, open, luminous and is harmoniously intertwined with Parthenon itself. It permits the Attica sun to shed its light on the ancient works of culture and allows the visitor to enjoy and appreciate the details of the exhibits. This modern monument narrates the history of democracy, art, rituals and everyday life. It succeeds in harmonically linking antiquity with the modern world of the technology and imagery. That’s why pioneering,” Karamanlis told the audience of dignitaries, which included lead architects Bernard Tschumi and Michael Photiadis.

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The grand inauguration event for the New Acropolis Museum has finally taken place, so now the general public will be allowed admission to the building to see it in its completed state for the first time.

From:
Associated Press

New Acropolis Museum opens with lavish party
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Gods, heroes and long-dead mortals stepped off their plinths into the evening sky of Athens on Saturday during the lavish launch of the new Acropolis Museum, a decades-old dream that Greece hopes will also help reclaim a cherished part of its heritage from Britain.

The digital animated display on the museum walls ended years of delays and wrangling over the ultramodern building, set among apartment blocks and elegant neoclassical houses at the foot of the Acropolis hill.
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Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unfortunately cancelled his official visit to Athens for the opening of the New Acropolis Museum due to health problems.

From:
Haber (Turkey)

20/06/2009 14:45
(DIP) TURKISH PRIME MINISTER CANCELS HIS VISIT TI GREECE

ATHENS (A.A) – 20.06.2009 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cancelled his scheduled visit to Athens, Greece.

Erdogan called his Greek counterpart Kostas Karamanlis on phone and told him that he could not come to Athens due to some health problems.

Prime Minister Erdogan was set to meet with Prime Minister Karamanlis of Greece and attend opening of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens. (UK)

Invites for the opening of the New Acropolis Museum include the heads of state of many countries. More interestingly, many of these dignitaries are from countries that do not normally have good relations with Greece – yet are still apparently united in their support for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles (within the New Acropolis Museum).

From:
Standart (Bulgaria)

BG President Attends New Acropolis Museum Official Opening

Bulgaria’s first couple will attend today the New Acropolis Museum official opening, Presidential press secretariat officials announced. Bulgaria’s President Georgi Parvanov and First Lady Zorka Parvanova are at a working visit to Athens at the invitation of Greece’s President Karolos Papoulias. President Parvanov’s agenda includes a bilateral meeting with their host. The need of coordinated action and mutual cooperation based on solidarity should be the major priority of the efforts at downgrading the consequences of the global crisis, Bulgaria’s Head of State underscored in front of his colleagues at 16th Summit of Central and East European Heads of State held at Novi Sad, Serbia. To President Parvanov’s words, energy and energy security are key factors in overcoming the economic crisis.

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Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was today briefed on the final preparations for the opening of the New Acropolis Museum which will begin from Wednesday culminating in the main opening ceremony on Saturday.

From:
Athens News Agency

06/15/2009
PM briefed on New Acropolis Museum opening

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Monday had a meeting with Culture Minister Antonis Samaras and the head of the organisation for construction of the New Acropolis Museum, Prof. Dimitris Pandermalis, who briefed him on the progress of preparations for the official opening of the New Acropolis Museum on Saturday.

“We have carried out all the preparations required and we briefed the prime minister and I am sure that everything will go well on Saturday,” Samaras told reporters as he emerged from the premier’s offices in Maximos Mansion.
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Costas Karamanlis, the Greek Prime Minister has toured the (now nearly complete) New Acropolis Museum site in the run up to its official opening next month.

From:
Athens News Agency

05/18/2009
PM tours New Acropolis Museum

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Saturday toured the New Acropolis Museum a month before Greece’s newest and state-of-the-art museum opens to the public some 400 metres beneath the Acropolis Hill.

“We are in the final stretch towards the official inauguration,” Karamanlis told reporters following his tour with Culture Minister Antonis Samaras.
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During talks with The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Costas Karamanlis, the Greek Prime Minister, has again raised the issue of the Parthenon Marbles. Gordon Brown’s response to the request is not mentioned. This may be the first time that the issue has been raised directly with Gordon Brown, but it has been discussed with Tony Blair on numerous occasions.

From:
Athens News Agency

10/22/2008
Karamanlis discusses global crisis with Brown

The Inner Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis will convene on Wednesday to discuss Interior Ministry’s issues. On Tuesday, the impact of the global financial crisis on Europe and the European economies were at the focus of talks between Greek prime minister Costas Karamanlis and his British counterpart Gordon Brown in London.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Karamanlis praised Brown’s contribution to the common effort for amelioration of the crisis. He said the primary target of the efforts was to minimize the consequences of the international financial crisis on the lives of the citizens and on the real economy, and particularly on the financially weaker brackets.
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