New Delhi: For India, the agreement arrived at between the UK and Mauritius returning Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is of immense importance as far as New Delhi’s role in maintaining security in the Indian Ocean region is concerned.

“We welcome the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia,” the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release issued late Thursday evening.

“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.”

The Ministry reiterated that 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.

“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 statement further reads.

The British Foreign Office also issued statement on the deal “to settle historic sovereignty claims, protect our national security and close a potential illegal migration route,” but laid special stress on the status of Diego Garcia. It stated that the deal ensures long-term secure operation of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, a vital facility for maintaining international security.

“The UK and Mauritius have reached a 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,” the statement reads.

“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.”

It recalled that the previous government started negotiations on the future of British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago, but years after the negotiations began issues have remained unresolved.

“The agreement is strongly supported by international partners including the United States, which has joint operation of the strategic military base,” the British Foreign Office stated.

It also made it clear that the agreement “sees Mauritius assume sovereignty over BIOT, with the UK authorised to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius on Diego Garcia”.

US President Joe Biden has also welcomed the agreement between Mauritius and the UK on the Chagos Archipelago.

“It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes,” Biden said. “This agreement affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, while granting the United Kingdom the authority to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia.”

He noted that Diego Garcia is the site of a joint US-UK military facility that plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security.

“It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face,” Biden said.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that his agreement will secure the operational future of the joint US-UK military facility on Diego Garcia into the next century.

“Today’s agreement reflects the power of diplomacy to solve longstanding challenges, our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, our continued close collaboration with Mauritius on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues, and, above all, the strong partnership of Mauritius, the United Kingdom, and the United States,” Blinken stated.

What is the Chagos Archpelago?

The Chagos Archipelago or Chagos Islands (earlier known as the Bassas de Chagas, and later the Oil Islands) is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean about 500 km south of the Maldives archipelago. This chain of islands is the southernmost archipelago of the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge, a long submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean.

In its north are the Salomon Islands, Nelsons Island and Peros Banhos; towards its southwest are the Three Brothers, Eagle Islands, Egmont Islands and Danger Island; southeast of these is Diego Garcia, by far the largest island. All are low-lying atolls, save for a few extremely small instances, situated around lagoons.

The archipelago is known for its rich marine biodiversity, including coral reefs, fish and other marine life. The waters around the islands are some of the healthiest coral reefs in the world. The islands themselves host a variety of bird species and coconut crabs, although terrestrial biodiversity is relatively limited.

The Chagos Islands had been home to the Chagossians from the 1700s brought as slaves by the French from Africa and India, a Bourbonnais Creole-speaking people, until the UK expelled them from the archipelago at the request of the US between 1967 and 1973 to allow Washington to build Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, a military base on Diego Garcia, on land leased from the UK military in the British Indian Ocean Territories.

Since 1971, only the atoll of Diego Garcia has been inhabited, and only by employees of the US military, including American civilian contracted personnel. Since being expelled, Chagossians, like all others not permitted by the UK or the US governments, have been prevented from entering the islands.

When Mauritius was a French colony, the Chagos Islands were a dependency of the French administration in Mauritius. By the Treaty of Paris of 1814, France ceded Mauritius and its dependencies to the UK.

What was the Chagos Archipelago dispute and Mauritius’s claim?

Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago was disputed between Mauritius and the UK. The archipelago was detached from Mauritius by the UK in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence in 1968. The detachment and subsequent establishment of the BIOT have been contested by Mauritius as a violation of international law and its territorial integrity.

Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the UK’s claim is a violation of UN resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. On May 22, 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution declaring that the archipelago was part of Mauritius; 116 countries, including India, voted in favour of Mauritius while six opposed it.

The UK government had declared that it has “no doubt” about its sovereignty over the Chagos, yet had also said that the Chagos would be returned to Mauritius once the islands are no longer required for military purposes. Given the absence of any meaningful progress with the UK, Mauritius took up the matter at various legal and political forums.

On November 3, 2022, it was announced that the UK and Mauritius had decided to begin negotiations on sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, taking into account the international legal proceedings.

Why did India support Mauritius on its claim over the Chagos Archipelago?

India consistently supported Mauritius in its claim over the Chagos Archipelago, aligning with New Delhi’s broader foreign policy principles of decolonisation, sovereignty and solidarity with fellow developing countries. As mentioned above, in May 2019, India was among 116 nations to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded the UK withdraw its “colonial administration” from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally within six months, supporting Mauritius in its quest for the restoration of sovereignty over the island chain in the Indian Ocean.

Mauritius has emerged as a key partner in India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy. Through SAGAR, India seeks to deepen economic and security cooperation with its maritime neighbours and assist in building their maritime security capabilities. For this, India would cooperate on the exchange of information, coastal surveillance, building of infrastructure and strengthening their capabilities.

In February this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Jugnauth inaugurated a slew of projects at the Agalega Islands in Mauritius. These included a new airstrip, a jetty and six community development projects.

In 2015, India and Mauritius signed a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation. With the opening of the new airport and the jetty in Agalega, India can now enhance its presence in the Indian Ocean region. The airstrip can handle a Boeing P-81 multi-mission aircraft while a destroyer or frigate of the Indian Navy can dock at the jetty.

India is the preferred defence partner of Mauritius for acquiring platforms/equipment, capacity building, joint patrolling and hydrological services. Indian defence officers are deputed to the Mauritian Defence Forces. An Indian Navy officer heads the Mauritian National Coast Guard, an Indian Air Force officer commands the Police Helicopter Squadron and an Indian Naval Officer heads the Mauritius Hydrography Services.

Mauritius has become an important partner of India among the Indian Ocean littoral countries in the region. The island nation provides India with a very strategic vantage point to have maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean region. The Indian Ocean has become an important area of strategic competition especially because of the growing Chinese presence. It is worth mentioning here that China has built a strategic port at Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. The port is part of Beijing’s strategy of building a “String of Pearls” in the Indian Ocean region which also includes the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and the Gwadar port in Pakistan.

India’s presence in Mauritius gives New Delhi a foothold to keep track of maritime activities in the Indian Ocean and also monitor security threats whether these be induced by pirates targeting cargo ships or activities of countries that would be inimical to India’s interests.

Hence, it comes as no surprise that India has welcomed with open arms the agreement between Mauritius and the UK on the Chagos Archipelago.