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“How can the dispute around Chagos be resolved?”

Dr Benedikt Franke, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Munich Security Conference
Dr Benedikt Franke, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Munich Security Conference

The Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Munich Security Conference, Dr Benedikt Franke, travelled to Mauritius this week and had a meeting with the Prime Minister and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In a post-mission statement, Dr Franke, stated that he has several new questions to look into. Below is a verbatim reproduction of his LinkedIn post: 

 

  • How can the dispute around Chagos be resolved? You may not have heard of this archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but you surely know about Diego Garcia, the key US military base located there. When Mauritius struggled for independence in the mid-sixties, a deal was offered that promised freedom for the main island in exchange for the inclusion of Chagos in what became the British Indian Overseas Territory. The UK removed the native population, militarized the main island, and leased it to the US. Now, nearly 60 years later, several international court rulings have advocated for a return of the archipelago to Mauritius. Mauritius has offered the UK/US a long-term lease (99 years) for the military installations and a guarantee that no parts of the islands will be leased to third countries (particularly China), but promising negotiations that began under Prime Minister Truss have stalled lately. We have offered all sides the Munich Security Conference stage to discuss this issue.

 

  • How to increase collaborative maritime security? Piracy is on the rise globally (again) and there are many good reasons to look into strengthening cooperative mechanisms to counter it, including the Indian Ocean Commission and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.

 

  • How to counter the growing drug trade? Mauritius has become a key transfer point for drugs from Asia on their route to the US and Europe. It should be in the interest of destination countries to support Mauritius in its fight against narcotics, but so far, support has been lukewarm. Mauritius will host a major conference on this issue soon (and the MSC will be seconding staff to support).

 

  • How to upgrade relations with Germany? Mauritius is an increasingly popular destination for German tourists and investments, as well as a natural ally (amongst other things, it supported the G4 proposal for the reform of the Security Council). Opening an embassy and potentially even a Goethe-Institute here, and intensifying cooperation on issues like counter-narcotics and maritime security, seem worth looking into.
  • I cannot wait to welcome the first delegation from Mauritius to one of our events to discuss these and other questions.

About Dr Benedikt Franke

Dr Benedikt Franke is the Vice-Chairman and CEO of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). He previously served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Affairs at the CSU (Christian Social Union) and was the Special Assistant for former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan. Dr Benedikt Franke did his PhD on constructivism in African politics at the University of Cambridge after a Masters in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Dr Benedikt Franke sits on a number of relevant committees such as the Foundation Council of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and the International Commission of the CSU. In his spare time, he works as Special Envoy for Transatlantic Dialogue and Humanitarian Action of the Sovereign Order of Malta.

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