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Chagos Islands: Sovereignty

Asked by Ben Obese-JectyConservativeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 9 February 2026UIN 109314

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information her Department holds on the policy reasons why his Department commenced negotiations with the Government of Mauritius on the sovereignty of a) Diego Garcia and b) the wider Chagos Archipelago in 2009.

Answered by Stephen Doughty

In 2009/10 interactions between the UK and Mauritius focussed on the creation of the Marine Protected Area (MPA), which the UK declared in 2010 and which Mauritius objected to. It was not until 2022, under the previous government, that negotiations regarding sovereignty began.

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