Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated that the previous government had failed to act during the last opportunity to claim sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago for the Maldives. He made the remark at a press conference after the Maldives received a majority share from the disputed territory near the Chagos Archipelago.
At the press conference, Minister Shahid detailed the actions of previous governments in the Chagos dispute. He noted that no government had claimed the Chagos Archipelago as part of the Maldives and that no law made since 1932 has attempted to exert authority over the region. He added that no president had made an attempt to gain control of Chagos, even when the dispute over its sovereignty was at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
As such, Minister Shahid said that the opposition's claims on the Chagos Archipelago are baseless, as they have taken no action to claim sovereignty over the area. He also criticised the opposition for calling to reject the recent ruling on the dispute, citing it as a violation of international conventions, and comparing such calls to Israel's illegal territorial claims.