The UK has announced it is giving up sovereignty of a remote but strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean after more than half a century.

The announcement, made in a joint statement by the British and Mauritian Prime Ministers on Thursday, ends decades of often fractious negotiations between the two countries over the islands, the UK Foreign Office said in a press release.

The deal, reached after two years of negotiations, will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic move.

This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the US government as a military base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.which plays a crucial role in regional stability and international security, it said.

The base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius, it added.

The US-UK base will remain on Diego Garcia a key factor enabling the deal to go forward at a time of growing geopolitical rivalries in the re
gion between Western countries, India, and China, according to the release.

US President Biden said: “It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes.” Commenting on the deal, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “TodayÂ’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future. It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner.” Diego Garcia has also seen a small number of vulnerable migrants arrive since 2021, subsequently launching asylum claims. The agreement will shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, with Mauritius taking responsibility for any future arrivals.

In recent years, the UK has face
d demands, with various United Nations bodies, including its top court and general assembly, overwhelmingly siding with Mauritius to surrender what some have called its “last colony in Africa”.

The government of Mauritius has long argued that it was illegally forced to give the Chagos Islands away in return for its own independence from the UK in 1968.

Source: Kuwait News Agency