Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmed Shaheed claims that since it gained independence, Maldives always recognized Chagos Archipelago as part of Mauritius.
Dr. Shaheed rejected the allegations made by former Attorney General Aishath Azima Shakoor, who claimed that the government changed its policy in 2010.
After the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) upheld the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion that identified Chagos as under the administration of Mauritius, the disputed territory between the two countries was demarcated.
Following the ITLOS decision, several opposition members claimed that the Maldives has relinquished control of a portion of its territory.
During a press conference held by a group of former Attorney Generals last Thursday, Shakoor claimed that Mauritius had proposed to hold discussions with the Maldives regarding the disputed territory in 2001. However, Maldives had refused citing that discussions can only be held after the dispute issue over Chagos islands between the United Kingdom and Mauritius is resolved.
Shakoor also claimed that this position was taken during the administration of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and has been upheld until now.
Shakoor stated during the press conference, "The sovereign control of Chagos was a contested matter, and we said that we will not enter talks with Mauritius until the matter remained contested, and this was the state’s foreign policy. Since then, until 2010, we maintained this position," Shakoor said.
According to Shaheed, the Maldives’ policy remained unchanged and consistent throughout various administrations, including during former President Gayoom’s tenure. He stated that the Maldives has always considered the Chagos Archipelago as part of Mauritius since gaining independence on December 16, 1965. Shaheed also noted that this policy was reiterated in 1983, 1986, 1997, and 2002.
Following Shaheed’s tweet, the Vice President of Maldives National Party (MNP) Ahmed Shareef had shared a document Mauritius had presented at the ITLOS, on twitter to back the arguments made by Shakoor.
Shaheed, however, responded to this by claiming that the document reflected the opinion of the Mauritius government regarding the sovereign control of Chagos, and added that the documents containing the respective opinions and restrictions proposed by both the UK and Mauritius would be available.
Shakoor claimed that the Maldives switched its policy on the issue on October 21, 2010 during a meeting with the Mauritius government. As the then Attorney General, she submitted concerns to the National Security Council about the matter.
According to Shakoor, "In 2010, the Foreign Minister had proposed a discussion with Mauritius regarding the disputed territory. This was the first acknowledgement by Maldives that Mauritius had a claim to the territory, but until then none of the previous administrations had taken this position, and there was never a legitimate claim from Mauritius on the disputed area."
Although Shakoor claimed that the state changed its position in 2010, during the ITLOS trial, Maldives argued that Mauritius could not bring a claim because it was uncertain whether Chagos was under the sovereign authority of the UK or Mauritius. Maldives claimed that this issue should be the first to resolve before the ITLOS trial.
ITLOS, however, upheld the ICJ's 2019 advisory opinion that recognized Mauritius as the sovereign authority of the Chagos Archipelago. While the Maldives had previously refused to vote in favor of Mauritius at the United Nations, the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih changed this stance and confirmed it in a letter to the Mauritius Prime Minister.
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