Trump furious over UK handing over Chagos Islands to Mauritius

A new political tension has arisen in the UK and US over the Chagos Islands transfer agreement to Mauritius. A UK government spokesman said that no compromise was made on the issue of national security and that the agreement was made to secure the future of the military base.

The spokesman said that the operations of the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia could be threatened in the future due to multiple court rulings. A new agreement has been reached on the Chagos Islands to address that risk. He claimed that through this agreement, the operations of the Diego Garcia base will be ensured for many generations and no hostile power will be able to spread its influence there.

He also said that the US, Australia and other countries of the Five Eyes alliance have welcomed the agreement. In addition, important international partners including India, Japan and South Korea have also supported the decision.

However, the leader of the UK's Reform UK party, Nigel Farage, has strongly criticized the agreement. In a post on social media, he said, "Fortunately, former US President Donald Trump vetoed the deal and opposed the transfer of the Chagos Islands."

Donald Trump himself strongly attacked the UK's decision in a statement on Truth Social. He said that the UK is going to give up a strategically important island like Diego Garcia without any reasonable reason, which could pose a serious security risk to the United States. According to him, this decision is a sign of weakness and sends the wrong message to the international arena.

In this context, the US President also raised the issue of Denmark and Greenland. He said, "Denmark and its European allies must also do the right thing." However, last year, Trump indicated that he would be ready to support the UK's agreement to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Earlier, last year, the UK agreed to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. However, at the same time, it was decided to lease the military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years and keep it under the control of the United Kingdom and the United States. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said that the lease would cost the United Kingdom about 101 million pounds a year.

The Chagos Islands separated from Mauritius in 1965, when the country was part of a British colony. Mauritius has long claimed that the islands were forcibly taken from them as a condition of independence. Thousands of local residents were later evicted to make way for the military base on Diego Garcia. Many of those evicted are still fighting for their right to return to their land.

Source: BBC