Minister of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan said that the Maldives will now be able to protect its southern ocean region. He made the remark at a press conference after the Maldives received a majority share from the disputed territory near the Chagos Archipelago.
At a press conference, Minister Hassan said that the decision of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in the Chagos case allows the Maldives to draw its boundaries in accordance with the United Nations (UN) resolutions for the first time in the country’s history. He noted that foreign vessels tend to trespass in the southern region of the Maldives while traveling in international waters and that the government had been unable to take action but that the decision made by the international tribunal will allow the Maldives to protect its southern ocean region.
Also at the press conference, Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi said that the decision will make it easier for the Coastguard to patrol the southern region. She highlighted that the authorities had previously been unable to take action on trespassing foreign fishing vessels.
The government has stated that the ITLOS Special Chamber's decision is favourable, as it ruled unanimously in favour of the Maldives on the claim of Mauritius to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. The tribunal also supported the claim of the Maldives that Blenheim reef cannot be used as a base point, resulting in the Maldives receiving 47,232sqkm of the overlapping area.