Khaleel says reporting on Chagos statement is misleading

Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel has rejected claims that Maldives Ambassador to Belgium Geela Ali had made a statement that Maldives is not working on claiming Chagos. He said that reporting indicating this is framed in a misleading manner.

In a post on X, Khaleel condemned media outlets that reported this suggesting that a Geela had said in European Parliament that Chagos does not belong to the Maldives and has no intention of claiming it. Khaleel maintains that this was reported with the intention to mislead the public.

“The truth is that, contrary to the established systems, the rights of the Diego Garcia have been abandoned by a confidential letter of the MDP government in 2022 without the people and Parliament having a say. The people of Maldives cannot be deceived over these facts.” Khaleel stated.

Maldives' failure to challenge Mauritius' efforts to acquire Chagos during MDP's administration led to Maldives losing out on obtaining Chagos, senior officials of the incumbent government claim. Mauritius allegedly sold part of Maldives’ territorial waters by dividing the disputed maritime economic zone between Maldives and Chagos. And getting that part is a promise of this government.

However, the UK announced in May that it had signed the agreement with the consent of the United States. British Prime Minister Kier Starmer has announced that the return of the country's occupied Chagos to Mauritius is the only way to maintain control of the US-British military base of Diego Garcia(Foalhavahi).

After half a century, the islands of Chagos were ceded to Mauritius after years of negotiations.

The UK has long maintained the control over the Chagos Archipelago including Mauritius, and particularly the island of Diego Garcia—which hosts a major U.S. military base. In 1970, Mauritius was granted independence in exchange for UK holding control over Chagos islands. The UK then forcibly removed approximately 2,000 Chagossians from the islands, resettling them in Mauritius and the Seychelles. The displaced Chagossians have since been denied the right to return.

In 2018, Mauritius brought the issue before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in 2019 issued an advisory opinion that the UK must relinquish control of Chagos. The matter was then escalated to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), where Mauritius and the Maldives are now awaiting a ruling on their maritime boundary and the implications for Chagos’ sovereignty.

Based on the decision, Mauritius appealed to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). It asked for the separation of Maldives from the conflicting territorial waters of the Chagos as Mauritius would exercise jurisdiction over the Chagos. The tribunal also ruled that Britain's jurisdiction over Chagos did not apply. Therefore, it has now been separated from the sea area as proposed by Mauritius.

The Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) spans approximately 95,000 square kilometres. Under the proposed division, the Maldives would receive 47,232 sq km while Mauritius would be allocated 45,331 sq km—an almost equal distribution, with Mauritius receiving 0.960 sq km for every 1 sq km awarded to the Maldives.