Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the Maldives has informed Mauritius that it would not give any leeway in the maritime boundary dispute, even if the Maldives side with Mauritius for the decolonisation of the Chagos Islands.
In a press statement, the foreign ministry detailed that all the governments of the Maldives had consistently voiced support for decolonisation along with the international community, and shown support to all countries that had gained independence. It stated that the Chagos Islands, located south of the Maldives, are under the control of the United Kingdom (UK) and that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2019 had stated that the UK should give up control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The ministry stated that Mauritius and members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) had submitted a resolution to the United Nations (UN) in 2019 to call on the UK to hand over control of the Chagos Islands within six months after the resolution is passed. The ministry stated that the Maldives voted against the resolution in response to Mauritius filing a formal protest after the Maldives made its submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) claiming a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
However, the ministry stated that the Maldives has decided to vote in favour of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution entitled: Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. It added that it had made the decision as part of its longstanding and steadfast commitment of the Maldives to decolonisation and to upholding the right to self-determination.
Additionally, the ministry stated that the current dispute with the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is an issue separate from whether the UK or Mauritius should have control of the Chagos Islands. It added that the Maldives will use its explanation of vote to any resolution on the Chagos Islands to state that any vote in favour of Mauritius would not mean that the Maldives would reverse its stand or give any leeway in the maritime boundary dispute.