The Maldivian government has reassured that it won’t compromise in the EEZ territorial dispute with Mauritius. This was stated in a press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last night.
In the press release, the Foreign Ministry stated that if a resolution is proposed in the UN General Assembly, in the ‘Explanation of Vote’ phase before voting, not opposing the resolution will not affect any decision by the government in the case filed by Mauritius against the Maldives at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The Ministry added that the government of Mauritius has been informed of this.
The Ministry stated that the Chagos archipelago, located south of the Maldives, is a place colonized by the British after removing the inhabitants of the islands. After years of discussions at the UN regarding the sovereignty of Mauritius over Chagos, in 2017, the General Assembly asked for the Advisory Opinion of the International Court Of Justice (ICJ). In 2019, the “ICJ Advisory Opinion on Legal Consequences of the Separation of Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965” released by the ICJ declared that Chagos belonged to Mauritius.
With the ICJ’s statement, Mauritius and African nations in the UN along with the nations of The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) proposed a resolution on 22nd May 2019. This resolution called for the return of Chagos to Mauritius in 6 months. When the UN General Assembly called for a vote, Maldives voted against the resolution then.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the government voted against the 2019 resolution because Mauritius opposed Maldives’ proposal to increase the country’s continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in The Commission On The Limits Of The Continental Shelf (CLCS) on 26th July 2010 with a “formal protest” on 24th March 2011.
Based on the relationship between Mauritius and Maldives’ anti-colonial policy in the UN General Assembly since the independence of the country, siding with countries like Mauritius maintains the consistency of Maldivian foreign policy, stated the Ministry.
The Ministry stated that voting in the UN General Assembly regarding the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago and the issue regarding the establishment of the limits of the continental shelf of the Maldives in ITLOS are two separate issues. The sovereignty dispute over Chagos is a dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom and not with the Maldives, the Ministry added.
In the press release, the Foreign Ministry stated that if a resolution is proposed in the UN General Assembly, in the ‘Explanation of Vote’ phase before voting, not opposing the resolution will not affect any decision by the government in the case filed by Mauritius against the Maldives at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The Ministry added that the government of Mauritius has been informed of this.
The Ministry stated that the Chagos archipelago, located south of the Maldives, is a place colonized by the British after removing the inhabitants of the islands. After years of discussions at the UN regarding the sovereignty of Mauritius over Chagos, in 2017, the General Assembly asked for the Advisory Opinion of the International Court Of Justice (ICJ). In 2019, the “ICJ Advisory Opinion on Legal Consequences of the Separation of Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965” released by the ICJ declared that Chagos belonged to Mauritius.
With the ICJ’s statement, Mauritius and African nations in the UN along with the nations of The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) proposed a resolution on 22nd May 2019. This resolution called for the return of Chagos to Mauritius in 6 months. When the UN General Assembly called for a vote, Maldives voted against the resolution then.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the government voted against the 2019 resolution because Mauritius opposed Maldives’ proposal to increase the country’s continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in The Commission On The Limits Of The Continental Shelf (CLCS) on 26th July 2010 with a “formal protest” on 24th March 2011.
Based on the relationship between Mauritius and Maldives’ anti-colonial policy in the UN General Assembly since the independence of the country, siding with countries like Mauritius maintains the consistency of Maldivian foreign policy, stated the Ministry.
The Ministry stated that voting in the UN General Assembly regarding the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago and the issue regarding the establishment of the limits of the continental shelf of the Maldives in ITLOS are two separate issues. The sovereignty dispute over Chagos is a dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom and not with the Maldives, the Ministry added.
