Nasheed claims talks with Mauritius always on Chagos distribution

Maldives parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed claims talks between the island nation and Mauritius, were always focused on dividing the Chagos Islands between the two.

According to Nasheed, the two countries agreed on it during his presidency.

Recently Maldives declared it will support Mauritius at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to support in favor of Mauritius reclaiming Chagos Archipelago under its administration. Following this decision, Maldivian government attracted heavy criticism, alleging that the state was willfully resting its case over the maritime boundary demarcation issue between the countries. Maldivian government was accused of letting go of its territorial waters to Mauritius. However, this was rebuffed by both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Maldives Attorney General's Office, both enunciating the two were separate and distinct cases.

While speaking about the contentious topic, Nasheed acknowledged ownership of the Chagos Archipelago must revert back to its original settlers, should UK relinquish its colonial control over the islands. The parliament speaker further added that Chagos Islands were currently unpopulated, noting the community was now present only in Diego Garcia.

According to Nasheed, Maldives has a stronger claim to the sovereign rights of Diego Garcia and other parts of Chagos Archipelago compared to Mauritius, though the their administration will likely revert to the latter.

"In addition to several other aspects, there is a likeness in the [Chagos Islands] name with ours," Nasheed said, explaining local name for the archipelago was similar to 'Fuvahmulah' - the only atoll-island in the Maldives.

The maritime boundary demarcation case was filed at International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on December 18, 2019 to bring an end to a decades old dispute between the countries; tied to the overlap of their exclusive economic zones (EEZ). Maldives maintained claim that the case was easily resolvable with peaceful dialogue, but said such efforts were hindered by Mauritius filing the case at the court. Maldives views this move was motivated by Mauritius to gain sovereign rights of Chagos Archipelago under them.