A former UK culture minister has said he is confident that a "deal is within reach" on returning the Parthenon Marbles to Greece.
The sculptures - 17 figures and part of a frieze that decorated the 2,500-year-old Parthenon temple at the Acropolis - were taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century when he was the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and have been the subject of a long-running dispute over where they should be displayed.
A new committee has been set up which aims to return the sculptures and is being chaired by Ed Vaizey.
He will use the 40th anniversary of the 1983 Heritage Act to bring a motion before the House of Lords to debate "contested heritage".
Speaking to the BBC ahead of Thursday's debate, Mr Vaizey said he is confident "a deal is within reach".
It comes after Prime Minister Liz Truss ruled out supporting a deal to return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece, despite George Osborne, chairman of the British Museum and former Tory chancellor, saying there is a "deal to be done" to share the Parthenon Marbles with Greece.
She told GB News at the Conservative Party conference: "I don't support that."
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has called for the marbles to be returned to Greece on many occasions, even offering to loan some of his country's other treasures to the British Museum in exchange.
In a recent interview with the Sunday Times, he said he will raise the subject with Ms Truss on a visit to London this year.
Mr Mitsotakis said: "At a time when Truss will be looking to build her credibility and when the UK is sort of cornered in terms of its overall image after the (Queen's) funeral, it will be a fantastic gesture and that's what I'll tell her."
In 2021, then-prime minister Boris Johnson told the Greek premier during talks at Downing Street that the issue was "one for the trustees of the British Museum".
