India reaffirms unstinted support to Mauritius on Chagos Archipelago issue

Port Louis, Jul 16 (PTI) India on Tuesday reaffirmed its support to Mauritius on the issue of the Chagos Archipelago, a gesture which was swiftly appreciated by the island nation in the Indian Ocean.

India’s explicit public support regarding the Chagos Archipelago was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is here for a two-day visit for engagements with the leadership of Mauritius to cement the bilateral ties that are critical for the future of the Indian Ocean region.

“As we look at our deep and enduring relationship, Prime Minister, I would like to again assure you today that on the issue of Chagos, India will continue its consistent support to Mauritius in line with its principal stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations,” Jaishankar said during an event here along with Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

Perhaps driven by a common colonial past – India was a colony of Great Britain – the sentiment was immediately reciprocated by Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin.

“We express our deep gratitude to @DrSJaishankar for reaffirming #India consistent support to #Mauritius regarding the #ChagosArchipelago, in alignment with India’s principled stance on #decolonisation, #sovereignty, and #TerritorialIntegrity,” Gobin posted on X soon after the event.

Having an area of 60 square kilometres, the Chagos Archipelago, a group of atolls comprising 58 islands, is located approximately 2,200 km north-east of the main Island of Mauritius and about 1,700 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram.

According to the Mauritius government website, the Chagos Archipelago has been part of the territory of the Republic of Mauritius since at least the 18th century when it was a French colony and was known as Ile de France.

“The Chagos Archipelago and all the other islands forming part of Ile de France were ceded by France to Britain in 1810, when Ile de France was renamed Mauritius. The administration of the Chagos Archipelago as a constituent part of Mauritius continued without interruption throughout the period of British rule until its unlawful excision from Mauritius in 1965,” it adds.

Mauritius has raised the issue on various international platforms, and there is a UNGA resolution of 2019 that affirms that “Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius,” and demands that “the UK withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally within a period of not more than six months.”

That has, however, not seen the light of the day.

According to a Human Rights Watch report on February 15, 2023, about 60 years ago, the United Kingdom government secretly planned, with the United States, to force an entire Indigenous people, the Chagossians, from their homes in the Chagos Archipelago.

The Indian Ocean islands were part of Mauritius, then a UK colony. The two governments agreed that a US military base would be built on Diego Garcia, the largest of the inhabited Chagos islands, and the island’s inhabitants would be removed.

The UK government split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, creating a new colony in Africa, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the Human Rights Watch report said.

During his meetings here, Jaishankar also reaffirmed during his speech India’s consistent and continued support to Mauritius in its quest for progress as he held wide-ranging talks with the country’s leadership.

During his meetings here, Jaishankar also reaffirmed during his speech India’s consistent and continued support to Mauritius in its quest for progress as he held wide-ranging talks with the country’s leadership.

According to the Indian High Commission at Mauritius website, India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons.

A key reason for the special ties is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island’s population of 1.2 million, it added.