(4.18 p.m.) CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO – AGREEMENT – LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I would like to make a Statement on the Chagos Archipelago. In my reply to the Private Notice Question of last Tuesday, 21 April 2026, I referred to the decision of the UK Government not to proceed in the House of Lords with the Bill titled “Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill”, which it had introduced with a view to ratifying the agreement between Mauritius and the United Kingdom concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. I wish to keep the House informed of further developments. On 22 April 2026, I received a phone call from Mr Jonathan Powell, the UK Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser, who reiterated the commitment of the United Kingdom to the Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago despite this decision of the UK Government. I explained to Mr Powell that my Government would in due course review the situation and take a decision on the way forward accordingly. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as I said in my reply to the PNQ on the 21 April 2026, officials from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office were coming to visit Mauritius that very week. Mr Robbie Bulloch, Director of Overseas Territories and Polar Directorate at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office together with the Lead Negotiator, Mr Peter Candler, Mr Paul McKell, the Legal Director of that department came to Mauritius last week at the request of the UK Government. They held talks on 22 April 2026 with the Attorney General and the officers of his Office and my Office. They also called upon me on 22 April 2026. During the talks, the United Kingdom highlighted that the signature of an updated UK- US Exchange of Notes in respect of the military base in Diego Garcia is a prerequisite for the “Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill” to be taken forward in the UK Parliament. The United Kingdom indicated that while an updated Exchange of Notes had been agreed by the US agencies, it had not yet obtained the approval of the US President and could not therefore be signed. The United Kingdom assured Mauritius that it remains committed to the Agreement which it had signed with Mauritius on the Chagos Archipelago. The United Kingdom informed Mauritius that once the updated Exchange of Notes would be signed by the United Kingdom and the United States, the “Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill” would again be introduced in the UK Parliament. Mauritius underscored that it would not be able to wait for too long for the ratification of the agreement on the Chagos Archipelago by the United Kingdom. We indicated that we would have in due course to review the situation and decide on the way forward. It was agreed that Mauritius and the United Kingdom would hold a virtual meeting in one month’s time, that is, towards the end of May of this year in order to take stock of developments. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the United Kingdom has agreed that pending the ratification of the Agreement on the Chagos Archipelago, the following actions could be taken – (a) organisation of a heritage visit for the Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago in line with a request made by Mr Olivier Bancoult and other Chagossians for a visit in a letter they had addressed to me earlier; (b) a formal delegation of the Chagossian community would be allowed to visit the UK and to engage with MPs and other organisations as well as the UK Press to put forward the views of the original native Chagossians to correct the deliberate misinformation being propagated by some Chagossians living in the UK; (c) participation of Mauritian scientists in the annual expedition of the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser to the Chagos Archipelago and the rat eradication expedition to Peros Banhos; (d) visit of a UK delegation to Mauritius to undertake a maritime security capability needs assessment; (e) follow up to the workshop on the Chagos Archipelago Marine Protected Area organised by the Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration of my Office from 30 March to 01 April 2026 in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London and with the support of the British High Commission; (f) completion of work on outstanding issues relating to the implementation of the agreement between Mauritius and the United Kingdom on the Chagos Archipelago, and (g) implementation of further actions under the Strategic Partnership Framework which Mauritius and the United Kingdom signed on 22 May 2025. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, hon. Prime Minister.