Mauritius and UK open discussions over Chagos Archipelago

The British and Mauritian governments want to reach an agreement on the disputed Chagos Archipelago as early as next year, PM Pravind Jugnauth has announced.

Mauritius claims the remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean in full but it is administered by Britain, which has a joint military base there with the United States.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that the countries “have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago”.

He said they had agreed to hold “constructive negotiations” and hope to reach an agreement early next year.

This follows a meeting in September between the countries’ prime ministers at the United Nations General Assembly.

Cleverly said the UK intends to “resolve all outstanding issues, including those relating to the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago”.

It appears that both governments have agreed that the existence of the military base in Diego Garcia will not be jeopardised, as it ensures the security of the area.

The two countries reportedly also agreed to strengthen their cooperation on a number of bilateral issues and that the United States and India will be informed of progress on the issue.