New Delhi: US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer seem to be ready for a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with the UK leasing back the strategic US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.
The UK would be leasing out Diego Garcia for 99 years while having the choice to further lease it out for another 40 years.
With the change of guard in the US, a cloud of uncertainty was hanging over the Chagos Islands agreement, reached in October last year, but Trump Friday showed his interest in taking it forward. A former British colony, Mauritius was forced to give the Chagos Islands away in return for its independence in 1968. Islanders were forced to leave their homes, and the Chagossians were resettled in Mauritius and Seychelles.
The Diego Garcia military base was established in 1971 amid the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. At the time, India was still more inclined towards the Soviet Union whereas the United States supported Pakistan. So, the US-UK military base was a cause of concern for India, with its establishment arousing distrust. However, the relations have changed over time.
In Episode 1615 of #CutTheClutter, ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta discusses changing geopolitical dynamics—past, present, and future—in the context of the proposed Chagos Islands deal.