New Delhi: India on Thursday welcomed the agreement between Mauritius and the United Kingdom over the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, an archipelago of over 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, as well as Diego Garcia. The deal was made by the UK to secure the future of the strategically important UK-US military base at Diego Garcia.
"We welcome the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, including Diego Garcia. This significant understanding completes the decolonisation of Mauritius. The resolution of the longstanding Chagos dispute after two years of negotiations, in compliance with international law, is a welcome development," said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
India has consistently supported Mauritius’s claim for sovereignty over Chagos, in line with its principled stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, as well as its longstanding and close partnership with Mauritius, the MEA asserted.
India's quiet role in Chagos Islands deal
According to sources, India played a quiet yet important role in the background concerning the deal granting sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. It firmly backed the principled Mauritian position, supporting its stance on the need to do away with the last vestiges of decolonisation, they said.
Furthermore, India consistently encouraged both sides to negotiate with an open mind and with a view to achieving mutually beneficial outcomes. It is believed that the final outcome is a win for all sides involved and will reinforce long term security in the Indian Ocean region.
"India remains committed to working with Mauritius and other like-minded partners in strengthening maritime safety and security and contributing to enhanced peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region," the ministry further said after the agreement was announced on Thursday. In July, India reaffirmed its support to Mauritius on the issue of the Chagos Archipelago, a gesture which was swiftly appreciated by the island nation in the Indian Ocean. India's explicit public support regarding the Chagos Archipelago was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was on a two-day visit to Mauritius at the time.
Why the deal was made?
The UK and Mauritius reached the historic agreement to secure the strategically important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional stability and international security. "For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius," said the British government in a press release.
"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," said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in a statement.
What is the dispute?
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. The UK government split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, creating a new colony in Africa, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), according to a Human Rights Watch report.
ALSO READ | UK agrees to hand over sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius | What is its significance?
