Port Louis: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, on Tuesday, extended support to Mauritius on the Chagos Islands issue, citing its decolonization policy. Notably, the Island is currently under British administration but is claimed by Mauritius. Besides, he also reaffirmed India's consistent and continued support to Mauritius in its quest for progress and prosperity. Jaishankar is here for a two-day visit for “productive engagements” with the leadership of Mauritius to take forward the special bilateral ties. The visit to the Indian Ocean island nation marks one of the first bilateral engagements undertaken by Jaishankar following his re-appointment in the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.
“As we look at our deep and enduring relationship, Prime Minister, I would like to 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 the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations,” Jaishankar said during an event here along with Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
Perhaps driven by a common colonial past – India was a colony of Great Britain – the sentiment was immediately reciprocated by Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin.
“India’s ties with Mauritius have blossomed into a robust and multifaceted partnership. The bilateral relation with Mauritius serves as a role model for India’s successful development collaboration abroad,” Jaishankar said at an event attended by Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. The event saw the inauguration of 12 High Impact Community Development Projects that are funded by India, the exchange of MoUs on education, and culture, digitisation of Immigration Archives and collaboration in the field of space and innovation.
Jaishankar hands over OCI card to seventh-generation Indian-origin people
Jaishankar and Jugnauth also handed over OCI cards to seventh-generation Indian-origin people in Mauritius. The visit underscores the importance of the India-Mauritius relationship and is a reflection of India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, Vision SAGAR, and commitment to the Global South.
According to the Indian High Commission at Mauritius website, India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons. A key reason for the specialities is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island’s population of 1.2 million, it added.
UK-Mauritius sovereignty dispute
According to ORF, The Chagos Archipelago consists of approximately 58 small, flat islands located in the central Indian Ocean. Historically, the archipelago was considered a dependency of Mauritius, originally a French colony that was later ceded to the UK under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Mauritius remained under British rule until gaining independence in 1968.
In the years leading up to Mauritius' independence, the UK government, during negotiations, acceded to a US request to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, for the establishment of a joint military base. As part of this agreement, known as the Lancaster House Agreement, the UK government employed coercive measures to separate the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius before independence and forcibly relocated its inhabitants to Mauritius and Seychelles.
Since the 1980s, Mauritius has contested UK sovereignty over the islands, arguing that the agreement was signed under duress. Additionally, various groups of Chagossians, now dispersed among Seychelles, Mauritius, and the UK, have been advocating for their right to return to their homeland.
(With inputs from agency)
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