Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the content is of his response of 16 December 2024 to the Mauritian counterproposals to the UK/Mauritius draft agreement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In a joint statement on 20 December, both the UK and Mauritius committed to finalising an agreement on the exercise of sovereignty over BIOT/Chagos as quickly as possible. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary of ongoing engagement with Mauritius, however we will continue to work closely in good faith with the new Mauritian Government to conclude a deal that is in both sides' shared interests, including protecting the base on Diego Garcia. Both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise the details of the Treaty in the usual way when it comes to Parliament before ratification.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Indian government on (a) British Sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, (b) the operation of Indian bases on Mauritian territory and (c) the use of Diego Garcia or the rest of the archipelago by (i) the Indian Navy and (ii) other Indian forces.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary last spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on 25 November 2024 about a range of issues, including BIOT. UK officials also regularly engage with the Indian government about the agreement. Our primary goal in negotiations has been to protect the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement reached contains robust security arrangements, ensuring the base can continue to operate securely and effectively as it has done, well into the next century. It has been strongly supported by our closest allies and partners, including the US and India . We would not have signed off any agreement that compromised any of our security interests or those of our allies.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the transfer of sovereignty over Diego Garcia to Mauritius on restrictions on the (a) storage, (b) deployment and (c) transit of (i) nuclear weapons and (ii) nuclear-powered vessels at the UK-US base.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our primary goal within the Agreement is to protect the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and international security. Our approach will ensure the operation of the base will continue unchanged with strong protections from malign influence, while also remaining compatible with our international obligations. Details of the Treaty will be presented to Parliament in due course, through the normal treaty scrutiny processes.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has negotiated legal agreements with Mauritius that preserve the operational freedom of the military base on Diego Garcia in relation to nuclear-related activities.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our primary goal within the Agreement is to protect the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional and international security. Our approach will ensure the operation of the base will continue unchanged with strong protections from malign influence, while also remaining compatible with our international obligations. Details of the Treaty will be presented to Parliament in due course, through the normal treaty scrutiny processes.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the potential impact of transferring sovereignty over Diego Garcia on existing agreements on (a) nuclear capabilities and (b) other matters governing the operation of the UK-US base.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with Secretary Blinken on a range of issues, including the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago.
We look forward to continuing to engage with the current and incoming US Administrations in the usual way to protect and enhance our shared security interests.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Mauritius on (a) Mauritius' policy on nuclear weapons and (b) the future operation of the military base in Diego Garcia.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary met the then Mauritian Prime Minister in London on 23 July. The political agreement between the Prime Minister and then Mauritian Prime Minister was reached on 3 October. The new Mauritian Prime Minister has since written to the Prime Minister to reaffirm his commitment to concluding the deal.
This engagement has been supplemented by official level meetings, which have covered all elements of the Agreement. This includes a meeting between the Prime Minister's Special Envoy with BIOT negotiations, Jonathan Powell and PM Ramgoolam on 25 November.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) the participation of Mauritius in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and (b) sections on (i) military cooperation and (ii) other issues in the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan for 2025-2027, published on 5 September 2024, on UK interests.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
53 African countries, including Mauritius, attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China made a range of high-level commitments as part of the Forum's Beijing Action Plan. As with previous FOCAC commitments we will monitor their implementation and implications for UK policy.
The UK will take a consistent and pragmatic approach to China's role in Africa - we will cooperate where we can, compete where we have different interests, and challenge where we must.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of (a) Mauritius' participation in the Forum on China- Africa Cooperation, (b) the provisions on military cooperation in and (c) the potential impact of the implementation of the Forum's Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027).
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
53 African countries, including Mauritius, attended the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China made a range of high-level commitments as part of the Forum's Beijing Action Plan. As with previous FOCAC commitments we will monitor their implementation and implications for UK policy.
The UK will take a consistent and pragmatic approach to China's role in Africa - we will cooperate where we can, compete where we have different interests, and challenge where we must.