22.05.2025, 23:10
Great Britain has signed an agreement on the transfer of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement according to which sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, where the US-British military base is located, passes to Mauritius, Sky News reported on Thursday.
"By agreeing to this deal now and on our terms, we are providing reliable protection, including from malicious influence, which will allow our database to function into the next century," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said during a press conference.
Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will pay Mauritius an average of 101 million pounds per year for the operation of the Diego Garcia military base, which will last for 99 years. At the same time, Starmer said that the entire deal would be worth about 3.4 billion pounds.
According to the Prime minister, if London had not agreed to the agreement, the Mauritian authorities would have brought the case to international courts and, most likely, would have won.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the conclusion of this agreement.
"The United States welcomes the signing of the historic agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the future of the Chagos Archipelago. It will ensure the long-term, stable and effective operation of the British-American Diego Garcia military base, which is extremely important for security in the region and around the world," Rubio wrote on Thursday on the social network X.
Rubio also declared his readiness for "further cooperation with the aim of the success of joint military operations" with the UK.
In October 2024, it became known that after years of dispute, London would transfer sovereignty over Chagos, including Diego Garcia atoll, to Mauritius; however, the military base located there would remain under the jurisdiction of Washington and London for at least 99 years. But at that time, the British government was just finalizing the contract. After the elections in Mauritius, the cabinet was replaced: from November 13, 2024, a new government headed by Prime Minister Navinchander Ramgoolam is in power.
The prime minister later announced that he would resume negotiations on the agreement. According to him, the current version of the agreement "does not provide the benefits that the people could expect." At the same time, he expressed a desire to reach an agreement with London.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United Kingdom should transfer control of Chagos to Mauritius. However, the British side expressed disagreement with this decision, after which Mauritius appealed to the UN General Assembly (GA) for support. The GA adopted a resolution according to which London had to "withdraw the colonial administration" from the islands. However, the British authorities did not do this at first.
"By agreeing to this deal now and on our terms, we are providing reliable protection, including from malicious influence, which will allow our database to function into the next century," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said during a press conference.
Under the terms of the agreement, the UK will pay Mauritius an average of 101 million pounds per year for the operation of the Diego Garcia military base, which will last for 99 years. At the same time, Starmer said that the entire deal would be worth about 3.4 billion pounds.
According to the Prime minister, if London had not agreed to the agreement, the Mauritian authorities would have brought the case to international courts and, most likely, would have won.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the conclusion of this agreement.
"The United States welcomes the signing of the historic agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the future of the Chagos Archipelago. It will ensure the long-term, stable and effective operation of the British-American Diego Garcia military base, which is extremely important for security in the region and around the world," Rubio wrote on Thursday on the social network X.
Rubio also declared his readiness for "further cooperation with the aim of the success of joint military operations" with the UK.
In October 2024, it became known that after years of dispute, London would transfer sovereignty over Chagos, including Diego Garcia atoll, to Mauritius; however, the military base located there would remain under the jurisdiction of Washington and London for at least 99 years. But at that time, the British government was just finalizing the contract. After the elections in Mauritius, the cabinet was replaced: from November 13, 2024, a new government headed by Prime Minister Navinchander Ramgoolam is in power.
The prime minister later announced that he would resume negotiations on the agreement. According to him, the current version of the agreement "does not provide the benefits that the people could expect." At the same time, he expressed a desire to reach an agreement with London.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the United Kingdom should transfer control of Chagos to Mauritius. However, the British side expressed disagreement with this decision, after which Mauritius appealed to the UN General Assembly (GA) for support. The GA adopted a resolution according to which London had to "withdraw the colonial administration" from the islands. However, the British authorities did not do this at first.
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