Mauritius has rejected suggestions that it could enter a separate agreement with the United States over the Chagos Islands, after reports that the Trump administration was considering a plan to buy the archipelago as Washington seeks to secure long-term control of the strategically important Diego Garcia military base.
The dispute has renewed tensions over sovereignty, colonial history and strategic military interests in the Indian Ocean.
The Mauritian government said on Monday that it had not received any official proposal from the U.S. and had not been approached, directly or indirectly, by the Trump administration over Diego Garcia or the wider Chagos Archipelago.
“The Mauritian government has taken note of the information reported by the Telegraph. As at today, it has not received any official proposal and has not been approached, either directly or indirectly, by the US administration regarding a separate agreement concerning Diego Garcia or the Chagos Archipelago.
"Mauritius's position remains unchanged: its sovereignty over the Chagos (Archipelago) is non-negotiable." Reuters quoted the government as in a statement.
