The United States said on Tuesday that it would hold talks with Mauritius regarding the retention of its military presence on an Indian Ocean archipelago being returned by Britain in a deal previously criticised by President Donald Trump.
The US State Department said three days of discussions would take place next week in the Mauritian capital, Port Louis, focused on the strategic base at Diego Garcia.
The talks will cover “effective implementation of security arrangements for the base to ensure its long-term, secure operation,” the State Department said in a statement. It added that discussions were also ongoing with Britain.
“The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago," the statement said.
In May, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government reached an agreement to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former British colony, while paying to lease the joint US-UK military base for a century.
Britain had retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s, evicting thousands of residents who have since pursued legal action seeking compensation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio initially described the deal as “historic”, but Trump later criticised it on social media as an “act of GREAT STUPIDITY”, claiming it showed why the United States should seize Greenland from ally Denmark.
Trump subsequently backtracked, stating he accepted the agreement after speaking with Starmer.
