The United Kingdom has announced it will delay finalising a sovereignty agreement on the Chagos Islands with Mauritius until President-elect Donald Trump’s administration assumes office and has been consulted.
Concerns surrounding the strategic Diego Garcia military base, jointly operated by the U.S. and UK, are central to this decision, ITVx reported on Thursday.
A UK government spokesperson confirmed that any agreement will be contingent on safeguarding national security and serving the UK’s best interests. “It is obviously now right that the new U.S. administration has the chance to consider this and discuss this once they are in office,” Prime Minister’s spokesman, Matthew Doyle, said on Wednesday.
The delay comes amidst renewed negotiations between the UK and Mauritius. Attorney General Gavin Glover of Mauritius is set to return to London for additional talks aimed at resolving the longstanding sovereignty dispute. Mauritius confirmed its intention to continue pursuing the islands, stating, “The commitment and resolve of Mauritius to reach an agreement and end this long battle for sovereignty remains unshaken.”
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The proposed agreement involves the UK ceding sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius while leasing the Diego Garcia military base back to the U.S. for an estimated £90 million annually.
While Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the plan in Parliament, saying it “delivers the continued effective operation of the base,” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the process, calling it a “secret deal to surrender British territory.”
Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who did not sign the previous agreement, has sent a delegation to London to further negotiations. The ongoing talks are expected to address critical concerns, particularly those related to military operations on Diego Garcia, a vital strategic asset for the U.S. and UK.
The Chagos Islands have long been a point of contention. The forced displacement of the indigenous Chagossian people in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate the U.S. military base remains a contentious issue, sparking legal and human rights battles.
Although the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Mauritius’ claim to the islands, the UK has yet to implement the decision, further complicating the sovereignty dispute. As negotiations continue, the situation highlights the geopolitical complexities surrounding the islands and their significance on the global stage.