London (ANTARA) - British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, on Wednesday\n(9\/9), reaffirmed that the country will defend the Falkland Islands and\nthe rights of its residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will always respect the right of the Falkland Islands residents\nto choose to be British citizens,\u201d Burnham told Members of Parliament\nduring the Prime Minister\u2019s weekly Q&A session in the House of\nCommons.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that the stance regarding the islands \u201cwill never\u201d\nchange under his administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to defend them persistently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Burnham\u2019s statement follows accusations from the leader of the main\nopposition party, the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, who accused the\ngovernment of surrendering British sovereign territories, including the\nChagos Islands.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther nations are making claims over our sovereign territories. They\nsense weakness,\u201d said Badenoch.<\/p>\n
In response, Burnham stated that the UK would not surrender the Diego\nGarcia base, located on a remote coral atoll in the middle of the Indian\nOcean, and noted that discussions are ongoing with the US regarding the\nmatter.<\/p>\n
The UK and Mauritius signed an agreement last year to transfer\nsovereignty of the Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius.<\/p>\n
The agreement, which ends over two centuries of British rule, serves\nas compensation for allowing the US and the UK to continue operating the\nstrategic Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.<\/p>\n
However, the Maldives opposes the deal, which has not yet come into\neffect and is still awaiting domestic ratification.<\/p>\n
Recently, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has requested Burnham to\nhold talks regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/uk-will-remain-steadfast-in-defending-falkland-islands-1789057377", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }