Mauritius PM thanks India for support after handover of Chagos Islands

India has welcomed the agreement between the UK and Mauritius over the transfer of the Chagos Islands and said that it has consistently supported Mauritius' claim of sovereignty over the islands.

In Short

• UK signed agreement transferring sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius
• Mauritian Prime Minister thanks 'friendly countries' including India, African Union
• India has consistently supported Mauritius' claim, says MEA

Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth thanked the Indian government and Prime Minister Modi, and the African Union after the UK handed over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Jugnauth said in a post on X on Friday, "Mauritius thanks the African Union @AfricanUnion, the Government of India @narendramodi and all friendly countries which have supported us in our fight for completing our decolonisation."

Recently, the UK and Mauritius announced an agreement that will transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while maintaining the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which will remain operational for at least 99 more years.

This settlement, which has been under negotiation since 2022, resolves a decades-long territorial dispute and secures the future of the strategically important military base.

Earlier on Friday, India welcomed the agreement and said that it has consistently supported Mauritius' claim of sovereignty over the islands.

“The resolution of the long-standing Chagos dispute after two years of negotiations, in compliance with international law, is a welcome development,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Notably, India has backed Mauritus in the legal dispute over the Island. Earlier this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed New Delhi’s support for Mauritius during a visit to Port Louis.