British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty
(asked on 8th March 2022) - View Source
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the Mauritian sovereignty claim on the Chagos islands.
This question was answered on 8th March 2022
The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which we have held continuously since 1814.
Mauritius has never held sovereignty over BIOT and we do not recognise its claim.
However, we stand by our commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes.