Chagos Islands Resettlement and Sovereignty 2023-06-13
2023-06-13
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Negotiations between the UK and Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory have been ongoing.
What recent steps has he taken to reach a diplomatic agreement with Mauritius on resettlement and sovereignty of the Chagos islands?
The UK and Mauritius have held four rounds of constructive negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory and the Chagos archipelago. Negotiations are ongoing, so we cannot speculate on the possible outcomes or pre-empt their conclusions.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Specific steps taken to reach an agreement were not detailed.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Negotiations between the UK and Mauritius on the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory are ongoing.
I thank the Foreign Secretary for his answer. I would be grateful if he could assure the House that these negotiations are going on in the spirit of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion and the decision of the UN General Assembly in 2019 on the reunification of the Chagos islands with Mauritius. Can he give us some idea of when he expects these negotiations to come to fruition?
I am not able to give a date or a projected date of when we will conclude these negotiations. We want to ensure that we conclude them successfully. Our shared objective is to ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK-US defence facility on Diego Garcia, protecting the vital role it plays in both regional and global security.
▸
Assessment & feedback
A specific timeline was not provided.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Negotiations are ongoing between the UK and Mauritius regarding the sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory.
There is absolutely a moral duty for us to allow resettlement of the Chagos island people on the British Indian Ocean Territory, but in those negotiations what discussions have been had with Mauritius with regard to who will be able to resettle the Chagos archipelago? Will it be only Chagossian communities, Mauritian citizens, or even Chinese nationals?
While the negotiations are between the UK and Mauritius, we are very conscious of the Chagossian communities and will keep them in the forefront of our minds throughout this negotiating process. Our primary objective is to ensure the continued effective operation of our defence facility on Diego Garcia.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Details about discussions regarding resettlement eligibility were not provided.
Shifting Focus To Defence Operations
Response accuracy