Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the governments of Mauritius and Russia have agreed to strengthen their relationship on fishing and marine research; and what implications this will have for the United Kingdom’s military base on Diego Garcia.

The Treaty explicitly grants all rights and authorities that the United Kingdom requires for the long-term, secure and effective operation of the Base. Mauritius as a sovereign nation has agreements with many countries on a range of issues which have no bearing on the Treaty. We will retain full control over Diego Garcia with robust provisions to keep adversaries out. These include unrestricted access to and use of the base for the UK and US; a buffer zone around Diego Garcia; a comprehensive mechanism to ensure no activity in the other islands threatens base operations; and a ban on the presence of any foreign security forces.