Agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the Status of the Chagos Archipelago

The United States welcomes today’s historic agreement between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the status of the Chagos Archipelago.  The United States has strongly supported negotiations between the two countries over the past two years and is pleased to see the successful outcome of this diplomatic effort.

Under the terms of the new agreement, the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, site of a joint U.S.-UK military facility. In turn, the UK will exercise the sovereign rights and authorities of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia in accordance with the terms of the agreement.  This agreement will secure the operational future of the joint U.S.-UK military facility on Diego Garcia into the next century.  Diego Garcia plays a vital role in U.S. efforts to establish regional and global security, respond to crises, counter to some of the most challenging security threats of our time.

Today’s agreement reflects the power of diplomacy to solve longstanding challenges, our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region, our continued close collaboration with Mauritius on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues, and, above all, the strong partnership of Mauritius, the United Kingdom, and the United States.