ANTANANARIVO, April 25 (Xinhua) — Mauritius will take a decision on the Chagos Archipelago issue after the end of July, according to the Highlights of Cabinet Meeting published on Friday.
The cabinet meeting said that Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam made it clear that Mauritius will review the situation and take a decision on the Chagos issue after the U.S.-Africa Business Summit, scheduled for July 26-29, in Mauritius.
According to the document, Britain recently sent a delegation to Mauritius and held talks on Wednesday with Mauritius with regard to the Chagos Archipelago.
The talks came after the British government had shelved legislation to ratify a deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius after the United States withdrew its backing for the agreement.
The British delegation said that the signing of an updated Exchange of Notes between Britain and the United States in respect of the military base in Diego Garcia is “a sine qua non” for the deal to be taken forward in the British parliament, adding that the sign-off of the U.S. president has not yet been obtained.
The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965, when the country was still a British colony. Britain leased Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, to the United States as a joint U.S.-British military facility the following year, leading to the displacement of thousands of residents from their homes.
On May 22, 2025, Britain and Mauritius signed a deal that formally ceded British control of the Chagos Archipelago to the Mauritian government. Under the terms of the agreement, Mauritius would lease the Diego Garcia military base back to Britain and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly opposed Britain’s transfer of sovereignty over the archipelago. ■
