Great Britain suspends the return of the Chagos Islands. Ratification suspended after US intervention

Great Britain is suspending the process of ratifying the agreement to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while talks with the United States are ongoing, said Hamish Falconer, Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

Last week, US President Donald Trump called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to withdraw from the deal, although he had previously expressed support for it.

Under the agreement signed in May last year, Great Britain would transfer sovereignty over the entire archipelago to Mauritius, but would lease Diego Garcia Island, where a joint British-American military base is located, for 99 years. The cost of this lease is expected to be approximately £101 million per year.

Falconer, who is responsible for relations with countries in the Middle East and North Africa as well as with Afghanistan and Pakistan, told MPs that following the US intervention “we are currently discussing these issues directly with the United States.”

He said that while the United States expressed support for the UK-Mauritius treaty when it was signed last year, “recently there has been a very significant announcement from the President of the United States.”

– We have a (ratification) process related to the treaty in parliament. We will bring it back to Parliament in due course. We are pausing it to hold talks with our American partners, Falconer explained. (PAP)

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