The UK announced a "historic" agreement Thursday which will see Britain hand sovereignty over the remote Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius while Britain retains the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The BIOT status of the disputed archipelago comprising around 60 islands has long been a matter of controversy and negotiations over its future began under the previous Conservative Party government in 2022. Under the agreement announced this week, the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, said to play an important part in the stability of the region and international security by the West, will remain under UK and US jurisdiction for at least the next 99 years.
This government inherited a situation whereby the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was put under threat due to questioned sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated.
Today's agreement secures this vital military base for the future. It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner, he said.
The FCDO stated that the pact struck with Mauritius demonstrates Britain's commitment to global security and the avoidance of threats to peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean and the wider Indo-Pacific.
It will witness the sovereignty of Mauritius over the islands with the UK being allowed to exercise the rights of sovereignty of Mauritius on Diego Garcia. For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, the FCDO said in return of a political agreement between UK and Mauritius.
"An agreement that underpins the UK's steadfast duty to keep the country safe, with the operation of the military base unchanged, in an increasingly volatile world," it said.
The UK said its agreement is "strongly supported" by international partners including the United States, which has joint operation of the strategic military base.
Diego Garcia has also witnessed a small number of vulnerable migrants arrive since 2021, subsequently launching asylum claims. The pact will shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, with Mauritius taking responsibility for any future arrivals, the FCDO added.
It said, "In resolving all outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and Mauritius, the treaty will open a new chapter in our shared history, one which will continue to be based on mutual respect and trust as close Commonwealth partners committed to the security and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region.". In achieving this political agreement today, we have been fully supported and assisted by our close partners, the United States of America and the Republic of India." On his visit to Port Louis last July, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar reiterated India's support for Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago issue.
As we look at our deep and enduring relationship, Prime Minister, I would like to once again assure you today that on the issue of Chagos, India will continue its consistent support to Mauritius in line with its principal stand on decolonisation and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations," Jaishankar said during an event in Port Louis along with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
This archipelago is approximately 2,200 km northeast of the main Island of Mauritius and about 1,700 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram .
The political deal is awaiting a treaty and supporting legal instruments being finalized, which the UK has asserted that both sides have undertaken to complete as quickly as possible.
Both the islands were part of the dependencies of Mauritius when it was a French colony but were relinquished to the UK in 1845. Mauritius became independent from the UK in 1968 and has since declared the Chagos archipelago to be Mauritian.
US President Joe Biden said he applauded the "historic agreement".
"It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes," he said.
The Mauritian foreign minister, Maneesh Gobin, said on X, "3rd October 2024. A day to remember. A day to commemorate full sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the entirety of its territory."
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