Britain [UK], October 8: After two years of negotiations, Britain and Mauritius have reached an agreement on sovereignty over the Chago Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Accordingly, sovereignty over the archipelago belongs to Mauritius, ending nearly 60 years of British occupation. The archipelago originally belonged to Mauritius, but Britain did not return it to Mauritius in the 1960s before being forced to grant independence to Mauritius . Britain turned it into a giant military base and leased Diego Garcia in the archipelago to the US as a military base. These military bases are of great strategic importance to the US and the UK. Mauritius regained sovereignty over the archipelago but had to agree to lease the Diego Garcia military base to the US for 99 years.
For Mauritius, the restoration of sovereignty over the islands is a top priority. The agreement allows the return of indigenous people who were expelled from the islands by British colonial rule in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as stipulating Britain's financial responsibility for the islands. It is therefore a major political and legal victory for Mauritius.
The agreement also benefits the US because it loses nothing and still gets to maintain its military base in Diego Garcia.
For Britain, the great risk of returning sovereignty over the Chago Islands to Mauritius is that it will create a precedent for other territories that Britain currently disputes sovereignty with other countries in the world . Britain must make such a decision in the case of the Chago Islands because only then can it salvage its international reputation after being adversely affected by the decisions of both the UN General Assembly and the UN Court of Justice for illegally occupying the islands and pushing the indigenous people out of the islands. The agreement helps Britain create a new image in the world, through which the US continues to exploit the islands militarily.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper