Marta Cienkowska told the newspaper Rzeczpospolita that the breakthrough reflects both a resumption of high-level dialogue and a shift "from discussion to action."
"We have repaired relations with our neighbours, allowing us not only to resume dialogue but to take the initiative in restitution matters," she said.
For the first time, German politicians have become directly involved in the process, giving Poland more leverage and faster channels for negotiating the return of specific items, Cienkowska added.
The Polish culture ministry is currently verifying how looted items ended up in the Berlin State Library, according to Cienkowska.
Among the works identified for restitution are the manuscript Gaude Mater Polonia, documents and letters from the Zamoyski Library and the handwritten diaries of writer Stefan Żeromski.
Cienkowska said formal restitution requests will be submitted by the end of this year.
Some items, including the ring of King Sigismund I the Old, have already been requested.
Poland lost more than half a million works of art during World War II, and the process of locating and recovering these items continues today.
Through cooperation between the Polish culture ministry, museums, law enforcement agencies and citizens, nearly 800 items have already been returned, while the continuously updated database of wartime losses currently holds around 70,000 records.
Scholars and heritage experts note that, despite decades of efforts, Poland has recovered only a fraction of its wartime losses.
(ał/gs)
Source: PAP