NAIROBI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - British authorities on Wednesday issued removal orders against four Chagossians who landed this week on a remote atoll in the Chagos Archipelago in a move they hoped would complicate British plans to transfer the territory to Mauritius.

US Department of State says it supports the UK's decision to "proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago".

India supports Mauritius's claim, emphasizing regional stability. Upcoming high-level talks will shape the islands' future.

Four Chagos islanders have landed on one of the Indian Ocean archipelago's atolls to establish what they say will be a permanent settlement, a move they hope will complicate a British plan to transfer the territory to Mauritius.

President Donald Trump’s description earlier this month of the UK–Mauritius agreement on the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands as “an act of great stupidity” briefly turned the world’s attention to the remote archipelago.

Exactly why Mr Trump suddenly turned on the Prime Minister’s deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and rent back the joint US-UK base is unclear. He had issued a tepid endorsement of the agreement just two weeks ago.

If the U.K. is so desperate to diminish itself and sell out Chagos's indigenous population, it would be better just to pay the U.S. to take full ownership of the archipelago.

The United States and Mauritius will hold discussions next week in Port Louis on the Chagos Archipelago and Diego Garcia