Washington: The United States announced on Tuesday that it will launch formal negotiations with Mauritius next week to maintain its strategic military footprint on the Chagos Archipelago, an Indian Ocean island chain that Britain has agreed to return to its former colony.

The State Department confirmed that a three-day summit will convene in the Mauritian capital, Port Louis, beginning Feb. 23. The discussions will focus on the continued operation of the joint U.S.-U.K. base at Diego Garcia, a vital hub for American long-range air and naval missions.

According to a State Department release, the talks aim to establish the "effective implementation of security arrangements for the base to ensure its long-term, secure operation." Washington is also maintaining parallel discussions with London.

"The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago," the statement read.

The Lease Agreement

The path to the negotiations follows a May 2025 treaty signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Under the deal, Britain agreed to cede sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, ending a decades-long territorial dispute, while securing a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia base.

The archipelago was separated from Mauritius in the 1960s, leading to the forced eviction of thousands of indigenous Chagossians. While the new treaty offers a path for resettlement on the outer islands, the U.S. base itself remains restricted.

Trump's Shift on the Deal

The transition has faced high-level political turbulence in Washington. President Donald Trump initially slammed the agreement as an "act of GREAT STUPIDITY," citing it as a symptom of Western weakness and suggesting it justified a U.S. takeover of Greenland.

However, the President has since moderated his stance following a direct dialogue with Prime Minister Starmer. Earlier this month, Trump acknowledged the deal was likely the "best" the U.K. could achieve, though he maintained a hardline stance on the base’s future.

"If the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers US operations and forces at our Base, I retain the right to Militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia," Trump wrote in a recent post on Truth Social.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who previously characterised the agreement as "historic," is expected to oversee the diplomatic framework as the U.S. pivots toward a bilateral security relationship with Mauritius.

With inputs from AFP