The parliamentary budget committee has allocated USD650,000 in the proposed state budget for 2024 to conduct legal work regarding the maritime boundary dispute with Mauritius.
The committee increased the attorney general's budget by USD650,000 to conduct legal work regarding the dispute between Maldives and Mauritius.
In April, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled that the Maldives should have a majority share of the disputed territory between the maritime boundary of the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago, ending the 58-year-old dispute and ensuring that the Maldives did not lose the southern part of its territory. The ruling was in favour of the then-government of the Maldives. However, the opposition alleged that the administration agreed to give up Maldivian territory to Mauritius.
Appealing the ITLOS decision is a pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. His most significant talking points during the campaign were to withdraw foreign military personnel from the Maldives and to regain any lost ocean territory. As such, the new administration's roadmap for the first 100 days in office includes appealing the ITLOS decision.