Culture Minister Mendoni meets with US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Darren Beattie in Washington

The Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni held a working meeting at the State Department with the US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Darren Beattie and the Assistant Under Secretary for Education and Culture Scott Weinhold. As stated in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both interlocutors expressed their joy "for the fact that this was the first meeting between the Greek government and the new Trump government".

For Deputy Minister Beattie it was the first meeting with a foreign official, an event which, he said, "carried, for him, special symbolism, given the love he has for Greece and classical studies since his youth". As he pointed out, the meeting with Lina Mendoni marks "the beginning of a historic and productive four-year period in which the American side wishes to take full advantage of the opportunities presented and to maximize the level of cooperation between the two countries". Lina Mendoni similarly expressed "Greece's will to strengthen its bilateral cultural relations with the USA".

According to the Culture Ministry, Culture is a theme of the annual Strategic Dialogue between the two countries, the 6th round of which will take place in Athens next autumn. Darren Beattie noted that he would be particularly happy to visit Athens on this particular occasion, responding to the invitation of the Minister of Culture.

The meeting focused on the efforts to combat antiquities trafficking, a major global problem linked to organised crime and terrorism. Lina Mendoni referred to the successful cooperation with the American administration, but also private entities, which led to the return of a large number of antiquities to Greece, in recent years, mentioning in particular the contribution of the Assistant District Attorney of Manhattan Matthew Bogdanos.

The returns", noted the Minister of Culture, "were processed through the existing bilateral legal framework, which defines the relevant Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries, as well as the Action Plan". The two interlocutors agreed not just to renew the legal framework, which expires in 2026, but to strengthen and expand it. Darren Beattie expressed "the readiness of the American administration to work even more closely with Greece to combat antiquities theft, tightening, where necessary, the related penalties." The fruit of the bilateral cooperation in this field is the international conference that will take place in the autumn in Athens, co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, the State Department's Cultural Heritage Center and the American Embassy in Athens.

Mendoni referred to the Greek exhibitions planned in the near future in US museums, inviting Deputy Minister Beattie to jointly attend the opening of the exhibition of Mycenaean antiquities "The Prince of Pylos. Treasures of the Bronze Age in Messinia", which will take place next June at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

She also mentioned the opening next September of the permanent exhibition, which is dedicated to Ancient Sparta, at the Center for Greek Studies of the University of Connecticut, with copies of ancient works and a museological study by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
Finally, she noted the interest of the Culture Ministry to organize an exhibition on sports in antiquity on the occasion of the Olympic Games, in Los Angeles, in 2028. Close cooperation is also planned for the route of the Olympic Flame, as informed by the announcement of the Culture Ministry.