British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

(asked on 22nd October 2019) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to comply with UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/73/295 of 22 May 2019 which demands that the UK withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago by 22 November 2019.


Answered by
Christopher Pincher Portrait
Christopher Pincher
This question was answered on 28th October 2019

We remain disappointed that this matter was referred to the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly. We have no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the Archipelago and we do not recognise its claim. We have, however, made a longstanding commitment to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.​

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