The Gibraltar government has reassured its people that the UK’s decision to give away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will have no impact on the territory’s future.
Fears were raised in Gibraltar after the British government announced its decision to relinquish control over the uninhabited Chagos Islands.
Concerns arose due to Spain’s long-standing claims on Gibraltar, but Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said the cases are fundamentally different.
He assured the people of Gibraltar that Sir Keir Starmer’s decision would not affect their future, adding Gibraltar is an inhabited territory, and its people’s rights “cannot be ignored”.
Picardo told The Olive Press: “Gibraltar is an inhabited territory, the population of which has rights which cannot be ignored in any circumstances and which entirely trump any other purported claims to our land and surrounding seas.”
He also pointed out that the Chagos Islands case is very different, as the islands were uninhabited when the British took control and later established a US military base Diego Garcia.
Picardo also mentioned the UK’s unchanging stance on Gibraltar, stressing that the 2002 referendum showed the will of its citizens.
The vote 22 years ago overwhelmingly rejected any suggestion of joint sovereignty with Spain.
He added that the UK has consistently said it will not enter into any negotiations about Gibraltar’s sovereignty without the approval of its people.
The Chief Minister said: “The United Kingdom has made clear that it will not enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their freely and democratically expressed wishes.”
Picardo also mentioned David Lammy’s commitment to Gibraltar, claiming the UK’s Foreign Secretary has pledged that any future discussions concerning Gibraltar will always involve the Chief Minister.
This strong assurance from the UK government is a big contrast to the Chagos Islands case, where negotiations occurred without the consent of the displaced Chagossians, who were forced out in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the US military base.
“The Chagossians have suffered greatly. This treaty may finally lead to them being able to go back to the islands,” Picardo said.
