India Supports UK-Mauritius Agreement on Chagos Islands
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India has expressed its support for the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius regarding the Chagos Archipelago. This agreement is seen as a significant step in the decolonisation process of Mauritius. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal highlighted India’s active role in advocating for decolonisation at the United Nations and other international forums.
Jaiswal stated, “The UK-Mauritius Chagos archipelago agreement has been in discussion for over two years. Our position is that this understanding completes the decolonisation process. India has been a strong supporter of decolonisation efforts globally.”
The agreement allows Mauritius to regain sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, except for Diego Garcia, which remains a British-US military base. The UK will support the resettlement of displaced Chagossians and establish a trust fund for their benefit.
The International Court of Justice had previously advised the UK to return the islands to Mauritius. The UK had controlled the region since 1814 and had separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965 to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. In the 1970s, the UK displaced nearly 2,000 residents to establish a military base on Diego Garcia.
Doubts Revealed
Chagos Islands -: The Chagos Islands are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. They have been a point of dispute between the UK and Mauritius. Mauritius wants to have control over these islands.
Decolonisation -: Decolonisation is the process of a country gaining independence from colonial rule. It means that a country is no longer controlled by another country.
Diego Garcia -: Diego Garcia is one of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago. It is used as a military base by the United States and is not included in the agreement for Mauritius to regain control.
International Court of Justice -: The International Court of Justice is a court that helps solve disputes between countries. It had advised the UK to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Chagossian resettlement -: Chagossian resettlement refers to helping the people originally from the Chagos Islands to return and live there again. The UK will help them with this process.
Trust fund -: A trust fund is a special account where money is kept to be used for a specific purpose. In this case, it will be used to help the Chagossian people.
