Diego Garcia: Military Bases
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Article 3(2)(c) of the document entitled UK/Mauritius: Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia (CS Mauritius No.1/2025), what steps his Department plans to take to maintain the (a) defence and (b) security of Diego Garcia as defined in Article 19 of the Agreement; and how his Department will coordinate this with the Government of Mauritius.
Answered by Luke Pollard
The objective of the treaty and the substantive obligation on both parties is the long-term, secure and effective operation of the base on Diego Garcia. Therefore, the treaty itself is designed to secure and protect the base and every obligation in the treaty is read in light of this obligation. This includes the fact that the UK has responsibility for the defence and security on Diego Garcia. Implementation measures, including the Strategic Partnership Framework, are being constructed against this treaty premise; Ministry of Defence relations with the Government of Mauritius will be supported in country by establishing a new non-Resident Defence Adviser position.
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