Former Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed has said that he does not believe that the decision of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on the Chagos case could have led to a better outcome for the Maldives.
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.
Responding to leaders of political parties from Twitter, former Foreign Minister Shaheed said he does not believe that the decision made by ITLOS on the case regarding the delimitation of the maritime boundary of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago could have led to a better outcome. He, however, said that it is important that the government provides accurate information to the public on the questions raised, especially regarding the letters exchanged by Maldives and Mauritius.
Meanwhile, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the Maldives has become a nation with its maritime boundary fully settled in accordance with international law and that this decision is a victory for the Maldives and its people. He congratulated the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the team that represented the Maldives in the case, adding that their work has resulted in the country not losing any territory.