'India facilitated Chagos agreement'

India welcomed the agreement between the UK and Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, saying this "significant" understanding completes the decolonisation of Mauritius and will reinforce security in the Indian Ocean region.

Official sources said India played a quiet but important role in the background, adding the Indian govt firmly backed the principled Mauritian position, supporting its stance on the need to do away with the "last vestiges of decolonisation". "India consistently encouraged both sides to negotiate with an open mind and with a view to achieving mutually beneficial outcomes. It is believed that the final outcome... will reinforce long term security in the Indian Ocean region," a source said. "India has consistently supported Mauritius's claim for sovereignty over Chagos, in line with its principled stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations," the MEA said in a statement. "India remains committed to working with Mauritius and other like-minded partners in strengthening maritime safety and security," it added. UK high commissioner Lindy Cameron wrote on X that the agreement enables deeper cooperation with India in the Indian Ocean, strengthening global security and averting threats to peace and prosperity in the wider Indo-Pacific.