The UK said after signing an agreement on Thursday to hand over the sovereignty of the disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius that the step ensures the future of the US-Bitish military base which is important for its safety.
Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Indian Ocean Islands, is strategically important naval and bombing base. Under the agreement, Britain will pay an average of 10 million pounds per year to lease the base for at least 99 years to Mauritius.
Prime Minister Care Stormer said that this base run by the US Army is important for British terrorism and intelligence information and “is the basis of our domestic security.”
Starmer told reporters at the British military headquarters in Northwood near London, “We are ensuring strong security by making this agreement on our terms. … This will enable this military base to operate well by the next century and will help keep us safe for many generations to come.
Critics of this agreement argue that leaving the British region for two centuries will pose a threat to the intervention of foreign powers like Russia or China. This agreement must be approved by Parliament.
Conservative party spokesman James Cartaliz strongly criticized the agreement. The agreement was made despite opposition from some of the islands of the island. These residents were expelled decades ago to make a military base.
Earlier, a UK court lifted the ban on the British government on handing over the disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius. A few hours before the signing of the agreement on Thursday by Stormer and Mauritius leader Naveen Ramgulam, a High Court judge issued a temporary order to stop the transfer.
However, after the hearing, the judge said that the ban should be lifted. The administration of US President Donald Trump was consulted in this regard and gave his approval, but was delayed in finalizing the agreement after negotiations in the final moments.
Chagos Islands, one of the final remains of the British Empire, has been under the control of Britain since 1814. Britain separated the archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. Mauritius got independence three years later.