Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has revealed that the government plans to increase the economic activity in the southern region. He made the remark at a press conference after the Maldives received a majority share from the disputed territory near the Chagos Archipelago.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled that the Maldives should have a majority share from the disputed territory between the maritime boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago. The EEZ, as prescribed in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, stretches to 200 nautical miles from the coast of the country.
At the press conference, Minister Fayyaz said that previously only the EEZ in the northern region was demarcated, resulting in the government being unable to stop foreign fishing vessels from entering the southern region. He, however, said that the Maldives will not be able to protect and maximise economic benefits in the southern region.
Additionally, Minister Fayyaz said that the Maldives would have received less territory if the disputed territory was demarcated evenly but that the team representing the Maldives managed to argue for the country receiving more territory. He said that this has resulted in the Maldives not losing any of its territory.