The Chagos Islands are an archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Starmer said the deal to secure the U.K.-U.S. military base in Diego Garcia — to be leased for more than $100 million a year — is vital for Britain’s defense, intelligence and national security.
In 1965, the U.K. formally separated the islands from its then-colony Mauritius, before Mauritius gained independence three years later.
But Prime Minister Starmer underscored the significance of being able to lease back the island where the key military base is located.
He said much of what the military base is used for is highly classified, but “the strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain.”
LONDON — In an agreement that Britain claims will also secure the future of a strategically significant U.K., the United Kingdom has agreed to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. A. military facility.
The Indian Ocean contains an archipelago called the Chagos Islands. In the agreement, the U. K. can keep the important military facility in American and British hands for at least 99 years by leasing Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.
U. A. Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, applauded the deal between the U. K. . President Trump “expressed his support for this monumental achievement” during his February White House meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which included Mauritius, according to a statement.
In order to secure the U.S. K. . -U. S. . A military base in Diego Garcia, which will be leased for over $100 million annually, is essential to the defense, intelligence, and national security of the United Kingdom.
Navin Ramgoolam, Mauritius’ prime minister, praised the agreement as a “great victory for the Mauritian nation,” adding, “We are finishing the process of total decolonization.”. “,”.
Following a protracted dispute over the islands that included inquiries about Britain’s colonial past, the agreement was reached.
In 1814, the Chagos Archipelago joined the British Empire. 1965 saw the U.S. The K. officially divided the islands from Mauritius, its colony at the time, before Mauritius attained independence three years later. The late 1960s saw the U.S. The K. asked the U. A. thousands of people were evicted from their homes in order to construct a military base on Diego Garcia.
In spite of the U. The K. Mauritius, which paid three million pounds for the islands, has maintained that it was unlawfully coerced into ceding them as part of an agreement to secede from Britain. Mauritius, which has a population of just over a million, has been supported by international courts.
“The United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as quickly as possible,” the International Court of Justice in The Hague stated in a nonbinding opinion in 2019, adding that “the process of decolonization of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when that country acceded to independence.”. “.
Then, in 2021, Britain’s claim to sovereignty over the islands was denied by a United Nations maritime court.
Now, the U. K. . “Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago in its entirety, including Diego Garcia,” according to an agreement with Mauritius. “.
However, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized how important it is to be able to lease back the island that houses the important military installation.
While at U. K. Starmer told reporters the agreement was “one of the most significant contributions that we make to our security relationship with the United States” at military headquarters in Northwood, close to London. “.
“The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain,” he said, adding that a large portion of the military base’s operations are highly classified. He claimed it helped “defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan” and “reduce the risks to brave British and American servicemen and women.”. “.”.
The British government claimed that the United States supported the agreement. S. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, all of whom share intelligence with the United States. K.
The people of the islands are known as Chagossians, and while some have voiced support for the agreement, others are adamantly opposed.
The largest Chagossian community in the United States. The K. is in South East England, specifically in Crawley, Sussex. Labour MP Peter Lamb, who represents the town in the British Parliament, blasted the agreement, claiming it did not guarantee Chagossians’ right to return to their native country.
Telling my Chagossian constituents what to say when they inquire about the moral foundation for the U.S. K. is disregarding their right to self-determination that we are fighting for in Ukraine for Ukrainians,” he stated Thursday in Parliament.
The agreement was mocked by some opposition politicians.
Since 1814, the Chagos Islands have been a British territory. According to Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, only Keir Starmer’s Labour Party would negotiate a deal in which we would be paying to give something away. “This is an important military installation. China has an ally in Mauritius. “,”.
