Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January to Question 148829 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Navy, whether the answer from the Ministry of Defence represents his Department's policy on the future sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago.
Yes. We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been continuous since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the Archipelago, and we do not recognise its claim.
We remain open to dialogue with Mauritius on matters of shared interest, including BIOT and its Marine Protected Area (MPA).