According to a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on September 23, UK Defense Minister Wes Streeting confirmed that the UK is re-examining the agreement to transfer the Chagoss Islands to Mauritius after U.S. President Donald Trump described this agreement as 'terrible' during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.
According to the original agreement, the UK would transfer sovereignty over this region to Mauritius, while paying an average of 101 million pounds per year (approximately 136 million US dollars) to rent back a joint British-US military base located in the Indian Ocean. This base is highly valued due to its strategic location.
In April of this year, due to Trump’s withdrawal of support, this agreement reached during Stamer’s tenure was “suspended indefinitely”.
Strittin said, “We must re-examine this agreement, because the United States does not support it.”
He said in an interview with the BBC’s Morning Program: “What President Trump said yesterday is not new, but I think it makes one thing very clear: His stance on the Chagoss agreement remains unchanged, as far as the current draft is concerned.”
"Therefore, we must continue to work with our American allies, President Trump, and his government to modify this agreement to a level that he can support."
Strittin said that the current focus will be on ensuring long-term certainty for the military base located on Diego Garcia Island. Diego Garcia Island is the largest island in the Chagoss archipelago.
He said that since Boris Johnson, all British prime ministers have believed that the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding the Chagos Islands are threatening the security of that military base.
Mauritius argues that in 1965, Britain forced Mauritius to give up the Chagoss Islands as a condition for Mauritius's independence. Therefore, this action is illegal.
During the United Nations General Assembly in New York, when Trump met with British Prime Minister Berners-Lee for the first time face-to-face, the U.S. President once again criticized this as a "terrible agreement," and said that Britain would "reconsider" this agreement.
"Yes."
After that, he publicly stated that he "took over a situation with already existing problems and needs to find a solution."
Bernheim added, "Securing the future of this base is crucial. This involves our own security interests, and it's obviously also important to the United States. During the talks, I said we will work hard to find a solution between all parties and strive to see this matter through."
Before departing for New York, the British Prime Minister had a conversation with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Navin Ramgoolam.
The British government released a summary of the talks, stating that Bernam "reaffirmed his commitment to continue working with the United States to do everything possible" to secure approval for the agreement.
Before the suspension of the agreement in April this year, the UK and Mauritius signed an agreement in May 2025. However, the final text of the bill necessary to transfer sovereignty over the islands has not yet been approved by the British Parliament.
According to the terms of the agreement reached in 2025, the UK will transfer the sovereignty of these Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius, but will lease the Diego Garcia military base for 99 years.
The total cost stated by the British authorities is £3.4 billion.
However, this agreement was fiercely criticized by opponents at that time. Critics argued that if inflation factors were taken into account, the actual cost of this agreement could be as high as around 35 billion pounds.
Trump has long criticized this agreement. He once described it as "a stain on our great allies" and also "a completely weak act".
Strittin said in an interview on the BBC Radio 4 program 'Today' on Wednesday that 'at this stage', no funds will be paid to Mauritius while officials re-examine the agreement.
He described the Diego Garcia base as “one of the most sensitive and valuable national security assets,” and stated that efforts are being made to reach an agreement – “Maybe not everyone will like it, but everyone can accept it.”
