UK Note Verbale 197/20 logged with UN Treaty Section

The Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations

presents its compliments to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and has the honour

to refer to a Note-Verbale from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Mauritius to the

Secretary-General dated 9 January 2020 (Nº 03/20 (NY/UN/395), contained in a

Communication by the Secretary-General on 31 January 2020. This concerns the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s extension of the 1994 Agreement relating to

the implementation of Part XI of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

The United Kingdom rejects the claims contained in the Note-Verbale of the Permanent

Mission of the Republic of Mauritius. The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty

over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814.

Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the islands that now form BIOT and the United

Kingdom does not recognise its claim.

The United Kingdom’s position in respect to our continued sovereignty over BIOT is set out in

more detail in the United Kingdom’s submission to the report of the Secretary-General

(A/74/834) dated 18 May 2020.

The United Kingdom therefore continues to extend the 1994 Agreement relating to the

implementation of Part XI of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea BIOT

and apply its provisions.

The United Kingdom Mission kindly requests that the present objection to the Note-Verbale

be duly recorded, circulated and published, including in any relevant publication issued by the

United Nations.

The Mission of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations

avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the

assurances of its highest consideration.