India and the United States have signed a Cultural Property Agreement to repatriate stolen Indian artifacts from the US. Under the agreement, both countries will work together to also prevent and prohibit illicit trade, import, export and trafficking of archaeological and ethnological materials. This is India’s first-ever Cultural Property Agreement with the US.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat termed the signing as historic and said that it will strengthen the partnership between the two nations, fostering inter-cultural growth.