The British Prime Minister Kir Strandmer and his Mauritius counterpart Naveen Ramgulam spoke directly about the Chagos Islands deal on Friday.
Britain and its former colony reached a deal in October 2024, which is to hand over to the Chagos Islands in Mauritius, an archipelat in the Indian Ocean.
The deal will end the direct control of the UK islands, but will give it a 99-year lease at a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island.
In Friday’s call, Strander “underlined the need for a deal to secure the military base on Diego Garcia, which, according to a Downing Street statement, ensures strong security, including fatal effects.
The statement said, “The two leaders reiterated their commitment to a deal, and they were eager to speak again.”
Ramgulam, elected in November, has questioned the deal agreed by his predecessor. Hey said that it is not enough to your country without going to the individual sticking point.
Why are Chagos Islands important?
The island of Chagos is a small group of some 60 islands in the Indian Ocean in the south of India between Africa and Australia.
Britain established the base on Diego Garcia after gaining control of the Chagos Islands in 1965 and then leased the Aadhaar to the United States.
The location of Aadhaar allows the US to conduct military operations more easily in the region, discovering as a global hotspot of East Africa and Middle East.
The US has used the base as a center for long distance bombers and ships during wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
What is the American role in the deal?
Britain said in January that it would consult the Trump administration about the deal.
Before becoming the Secretary of State under Trump, Marco Rubio said the deal was threatened by American security by abolishing the archipelago with China.
Earlier this week, in a call between US President Donald Trump and Strandmer, the fate of the Chagos Islands deal was not discussed.
The UK’s opposition Orthodox Party has said that the deal has been called that the deal may increase the possibility of a military foot in the Indian Ocean.
KH/ZC (Reuters, AFP, DPA)
