The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will not lose any territory of the Maldives as a result of its decision on the territorial dispute between Maldives and Mauritius, said Professor Payan Akhavan, Lead Counsel on the Delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean between Maldives and Mauritius.
Professor Payan made the statements while addressing the local media at a sudden press conference held at the President's Office tonight, amid heavy allegations against the government in regard to the case. The meeting was attended by Presidential Spokesperson Miuwan Mohammed and Professor Payan. Payan participated online.
In response to a question from Ras Online, Payan said that no matter how ITLOS decides the case, Maldives will not result in losing a part of its maritime territory. The principle of international law is that the disputed territory should be divided equally between the two sides, he said.
He said such cases are decided in a way that benefits both sides instead of favoring one side. However, he noted that Maldives's case is very strong and that the Maldives is defending itself very well in the tribunal.
The territorial dispute over the maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean between Maldives and Mauritius:
The territorial dispute is over an area between the Maldives and the Chagos Islands, a collection of seven atolls in the Indian Ocean roughly 500 kilometers south of the Maldives archipelago. Mauritius and the United Kingdom have been in dispute for decades over the sovereignty of the Chagos islands, which Mauritius claimed as Mauritian territory when it got independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. The Maldives became embroiled in the case because their exclusive economic zone overlaps with Chagos'.
On August 23, 2019, Mauritius filed a complaint with the ITLOS under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Maldives had challenged ITLOS' power to delimit the disputed territory, but the tribunal opted to hear the matter on January 28, 2021. However, oral proceedings began on October 17.
Under the dispute, Maldives’s defense was grounded on three arguments:
– The Maldives opposes Mauritius' offer to consider Blenheim reef as a base point in determining the territorial waters of the two countries, as the Maldives will get a fresh area of 4,687 square kilometers if the Maldives is successful in delimitating the area without treating it as a base point with reference to the priority set by transnational courts.
– Maldives controversies ITLOS ’ Special Chamber’s governance to hear a disagreement over an external international shelf as it isn't composed of experts similar to scientific experts, unlike Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf( CLCS) – with which the Maldives lodged a case in 2010.
– The Maldives also argues that indeed ITLOS decides it has the governance to look into the case, Mauritius doesn't have rights to the external international shelf as it has not submitted applicable scientific and specialized substantiation regarding the natural extension.
Professor Payan made the statements while addressing the local media at a sudden press conference held at the President's Office tonight, amid heavy allegations against the government in regard to the case. The meeting was attended by Presidential Spokesperson Miuwan Mohammed and Professor Payan. Payan participated online.
In response to a question from Ras Online, Payan said that no matter how ITLOS decides the case, Maldives will not result in losing a part of its maritime territory. The principle of international law is that the disputed territory should be divided equally between the two sides, he said.
He said such cases are decided in a way that benefits both sides instead of favoring one side. However, he noted that Maldives's case is very strong and that the Maldives is defending itself very well in the tribunal.
The territorial dispute over the maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean between Maldives and Mauritius:
The territorial dispute is over an area between the Maldives and the Chagos Islands, a collection of seven atolls in the Indian Ocean roughly 500 kilometers south of the Maldives archipelago. Mauritius and the United Kingdom have been in dispute for decades over the sovereignty of the Chagos islands, which Mauritius claimed as Mauritian territory when it got independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. The Maldives became embroiled in the case because their exclusive economic zone overlaps with Chagos'.
On August 23, 2019, Mauritius filed a complaint with the ITLOS under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Maldives had challenged ITLOS' power to delimit the disputed territory, but the tribunal opted to hear the matter on January 28, 2021. However, oral proceedings began on October 17.
Under the dispute, Maldives’s defense was grounded on three arguments:
– The Maldives opposes Mauritius' offer to consider Blenheim reef as a base point in determining the territorial waters of the two countries, as the Maldives will get a fresh area of 4,687 square kilometers if the Maldives is successful in delimitating the area without treating it as a base point with reference to the priority set by transnational courts.
– Maldives controversies ITLOS ’ Special Chamber’s governance to hear a disagreement over an external international shelf as it isn't composed of experts similar to scientific experts, unlike Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf( CLCS) – with which the Maldives lodged a case in 2010.
– The Maldives also argues that indeed ITLOS decides it has the governance to look into the case, Mauritius doesn't have rights to the external international shelf as it has not submitted applicable scientific and specialized substantiation regarding the natural extension.
