US President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the UK deal to hand over sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, claiming that Britain is planning to hand over the Island of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, the site of a vital US military Base.
The Chagos Islands are an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean.
Last year, the United Kingdom and Mauritius signed an agreement to hand sovereignty over the contested Chagos Islands, while retaining sovereignty of Diego Garcia.
Terming the deal to hand over ‘extremely important land’ as an 'act of great stupidity, in a post on Truth Social, Trump noted that it is why Greenland has to be acquired.
“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER."
Further stating that there is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness, Trump added, “these are International Powers who only recognise STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before.”
“Denmark and its European Allies have to DO THE RIGHT THING. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” said the President.
Interestingly, in May last year, welcoming the agreement, the US government noted that the move secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint US-UK military facility.
According to an AP report, UK Cabinet Minister Darren Jones has said that the agreement would “secure that military base for the next 100 years.”
Meanwhile, defending its deal, Britain said that it would never compromise on national security.
“The UK will never compromise on our national security. We acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it from operating as intended in the future,” reported Reuters, quoting a government spokesperson's statement.
"This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out."
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that a court injunction has temporarily blocked the UK from concluding the Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius.
