Attorney General (AG) Ibrahim Riffath has stated that the Maldives will win in the maritime boundary dispute with Mauritius.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President's Office, AG Riffath said there is no evidence that Maldivian fishermen had trespassed in the disputed region and that such issues are related to international fishing rights. He said that the Maldives has a high chance of receiving a large portion of the disputed region if it were found that Maldivians fish in the region. He, however, said there are no official records confirming that Maldivians had used the region for fishing.
Also at the press conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid said the government’s policy on the maritime dispute is to not give an inch of territory while also gaining the largest amount of territory possible. He assured that all previous decisions made regarding maritime disputes have been ruled fairly for the Maldives and that the government has not changed its policy on such issues.
At the press conference, Minister Shahid and AG Riffath also provided detailed information on the timeline of discussions held regarding the maritime boundary dispute. They said that the government remains steadfast in defending its territory and not giving leeway in the dispute with Mauritius.
The dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives in the Indian Ocean arose after Mauritius filed 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, near the overlapping maritime boundaries of the Maldives and the Chagos Islands.