ABSTRACT
A critical issue faced by many countries is the request for the return of cultural artefacts to their countries of origin. Such claims are pursued either through litigation or through alternative processes, with negotiation gaining more ground in recent years. Such negotiation initiatives, resulting in restitution agreements, could offer many advantages to the involved parties apart from resolving the dispute in question, such as the development and establishment of long-term international cultural relations (ICR) between the involved parties, which can constitute the basis for developing close ties in many other areas of interest.
This chapter aims to explore the potential of negotiated restitution agreements for establishing ICR, through the example of the Getty–Italy restitution agreement signed in 2007 and its aftermath. The chapter also highlights the potential that such resolution processes may have in the economic development of the involved parties, the physical sustainability and preservation of the contested heritage, the development of tourism initiatives, and the involvement of all interested stakeholders and the preconditions for achieving such benefits. Current research agendas on the interconnection of such negotiation initiatives with cultural diplomacy and soft power are also discussed, emphasising the major impact that negotiated restitution agreements can have on several sustainable development goals.
