Chagos: UK, Mauritius agree to keep Diego Garcia military base, says Cleverly
The Hague Tribunal ruled that the administration of the United Kingdom is incompatible and must end
The UK and Mauritius have agreed to hold talks on the future of the disputed British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announcing that the countries involved have agreed that the UK and US have the Unidos Military Base, on Diego Garcia Island. You will continue to work regardless of the outcome of the talks.
The island of Mauritius claims the entire archipelago of the Indian Ocean, administered by the United Kingdom.
Foreign Secretary Cleverly said the UK wanted an agreement backed by international law to “resolve outstanding issues” regarding the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, a British overseas territory since 1814.
Cleverly said in a ministerial briefing to Parliament that “the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius have agreed to enter into constructive negotiations with the aim of reaching an agreement early next year.”
In 1965, the United Kingdom decided to separate the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and establish a military base that later remained in the hands of the United States, in the midst of the Vietnam conflict.
The Chagossians spent decades fighting to reclaim their islands after more than a thousand people were forced to leave in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for al-Qaeda.
In turn, the International Court in The Hague ruled that the management of the lands by the United Kingdom was called into question and demanded that it be halted.
The Republic of Mauritius, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1968, claims the islands belong to it and that the Chagossians fought for decades for their return before the English courts.
Minister Cleverly said the UK had agreed to negotiations on the “exercise of sovereignty” over the islands.
The progress in the talks came after contacts between Liz Truss, during her short term as prime minister, and the leader of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, during the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“While the negotiations take into account relevant legal issues, we intend to secure an agreement based on international law in order to resolve all outstanding issues, including those related to the former residents of the Chagos Archipelago,” Secretary of State Cleverly said. Report to the British Parliament.
For her part of the Falkland Islands, Governor Alison Blake MSG referred to the matter in a brief statement in which she emphasized that the negotiations undertaken by the UK government did not imply a change in UK policy towards the Falkland Islands, or the right of its people to determine their own future.
On 3 November 2022, the UK Government notified Parliament that the UK and Mauritius had agreed to start negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, BIOT/Chagos Archipelago.
He adds that “UK ministers are very clear that this does not represent a change in UK policy towards the Falkland Islands, a modern relationship, based on partnership, shared values and the rights of the Falklanders to determine their future.”
Finally, the UK Government will always uphold the UK’s sovereignty in the South Atlantic and remain committed to upholding the rights of the people of the Falkland Islands to determine their own future. The people of the Falkland Islands made their views clear in a 2013 referendum, when 99.8% of the islands voted for the islands to remain a British Overseas Territory.
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