New Delhi: India on Tuesday (July 16) reaffirmed its support to Mauritius on the issue of the Chagos Archipelago, with the move being appreciated by the island nation in the Indian Ocean.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who was on a two-day visit to Mauritius conveyed the country’s government that India supports the issue, reported the Press Trust of India.

“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 decolonization and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations,” said Jaishankar.

Mauritius’s Foreign Minister welcomed Jaishankar’s statement.

“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,” Maneesh Gobin, Foreign Minister of Mauritius posted on X.

Three years before granting Mauritius independence in 1968, the UK carved out the Chagos Archipelago as a new ‘British Indian Ocean Territory’. The British government gave Diego Garcia on a long lease to the US in 1966, and undertook to forcibly evict all its inhabitants. Since the 1970s, after constructing extensive naval facilities, the US has used Diego Garcia as a military base. The island has been the platform for launching operations in Afghanistan and also been used as an interrogation centre for detainees.

However, Mauritius has never accepted the legality of this territorial excision and the former residents of the Chagos islands – who numbered more than 1,000 when they were evicted by the British – have kept up their demand for the right to return home.

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