President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said today that the letter sent by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Prime Minister of Mauritius regarding the Chagos maritime boundary dispute has been withdrawn, and that a commission of inquiry has been established to investigate the matter.
Giving his presidential address at the opening of the Parliament, President Muizzu said the decision follows legal advice that the letter had adversely affected the political and territorial security of the Maldives.
In 2021, the Maldives changed its position on the Chagos Archipelago and declined to recognize it as part of Mauritius. Following this, Mauritius filed a case at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) concerning the maritime boundary between the two countries. Former president Solih subsequently sent a letter to the Mauritian prime minister amid the proceedings.
Previously, the Maldives had argued that ITLOS could not make a judgement on the maritime boundary dispute while sovereignty over Chagos remained unresolved. However, ITLOS proceeded with the case based on an advisory by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which stated that sovereignty over Chagos rests with Mauritius.
President Muizzu said the Committee had submitted a report to the Cabinet, in line with his directive to recover what he described as a loss of Maldivian maritime territory. The Cabinet has since decided to act on the recommendations of legal and technical experts outlined in the report.
“Based on the advice of legal experts, we have begun taking legal steps to recover the part of Maldivian waters that was given away,” the President said.
He added that international legal experts had advised that the letter sent by the former president undermined Maldives’ territorial interests, leading to the decision to formally withdraw it “in defence of the rights of this proud state”.
President Muizzu also announced that the Maldives’ special economic zone will be expanded to include the disputed maritime area, as defined under existing law. He said amendments to the Maritime Zones of Maldives Act will be submitted to Parliament.
Experts have further recommended the establishment of a dedicated office to define Maldivian maritime regions, set baselines, and manage all regional and territorial matters in a sustainable manner. The President said such an office will be established.
According to the President, experts have also concluded that the Maldives suffered irreversible damage due to decisions taken by the previous administration regarding maritime territory. A commission of inquiry has been formed under presidential powers to investigate the issue.
President Muizzu also revealed that discussions are ongoing with the British government regarding the recovery of Chagos. He said he had sent two letters to the UK government asserting that the Maldives has a stronger claim to Chagos than Mauritius, and that he had also held a telephone conversation with the British Deputy Prime Minister.
He stressed that the Maldives must establish and prove its long-standing historical relationship with the Chagos Archipelago.
Senior government officials have claimed that the previous MDP administration failed to safeguard Maldivian interests during Mauritius’ pursuit of Chagos, resulting in losses to the Maldives. They further allege that following the ITLOS ruling, Mauritius divided the overlapping exclusive economic zone and later sold parts of what they describe as Maldivian waters.
The overlapping maritime area between the Maldives and Mauritius covered approximately 95,000 square kilometres. Under the division, the Maldives received 47,232 square kilometres, while Mauritius received 45,331 square kilometres, based on a 200 nautical mile entitlement for each country. This resulted in Mauritius receiving 0.96 square kilometres for every square kilometre allocated to the Maldives.
