UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Navin Ramgoolam discussed the Chagos Islands arrangement directly for the first time on Friday, according to Starmer’s office.
Last October, Britain and its former colony agreed to return Chagos, which it had retained when Mauritius got independence in the 1960s, in exchange for a UK-US military station on the largest island, Diego Garcia.
Starmer “underlined the need for a deal to secure the military base on Diego Garcia that ensures strong protections, including from malign influence, and that will allow the base to continue to operate”, according to a report by Downing Street.
Both leaders reiterated their commitment to a deal, and they looked forward to speaking again soon.
Ramgoolam’s government, in office since November, earlier reopened the talks, reportedly seeking greater financial compensation and to renegotiate the length of the proposed lease for the base.
He has also said that a prospective deal on returning the Chagos islands to Mauritius would ensure the US maintained its strategic base on the Indian Ocean archipelago.
London also said earlier this month that it would consult the administration of US president Donald Trump after some of his Republican allies criticised the deal.
Critics, including new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are concerned that losing control of the islands would erode Western influence in the Indian Ocean and expand China’s reach.
Following independence, Britain established the Diego Garcia station and leased it to the United States, which utilized it as a centre for long-range bombers and ships, particularly during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
