President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has confirmed that the Maldives has formally raised concerns with the United Kingdom regarding the future of the Chagos Islands, asserting that the Maldives has a stronger historical and legal claim to the territory than Mauritius.
Speaking in an interview with UK based tabloid - Express, President Muizzu said the British Government is fully aware of the Maldives’ position through official correspondence, noting that the islands are historically known in the Maldives as Foalhavahi.
“Through an exchange of official correspondence the British Government is fully aware of our concerns and our claim,” President Muizzu said.
“The Maldives has historical connections to the Chagos Islands - known to us as Foalhavahi – which lie south of Maldivian waters. These connections are based on documental evidence, and we believe this gives the Maldives a greater claim than any other country.”
The President said the Maldives has formally raised its sovereignty claim and concerns with the UK, while refraining from disclosing details of the ongoing discussions.
“Currently we have raised our claim and our concerns with the British Government in official correspondence. I cannot disclose the content of these discussions, except to reiterate our confidence that the Maldives has the strongest claim over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands,” he said.
The comments come amid controversy surrounding the British Government’s decision under Prime Minister Keir Starmer to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a move presented in the UK as an act of decolonisation.
At the centre of the dispute is Diego Garcia, which hosts a strategically significant UK–US military base. Under the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius, the islands would be handed to Mauritius, while Britain and the United States would retain control of the base through a long-term lease arrangement.
President Muizzu stressed that the Maldives’ position is rooted not only in geopolitics, but in historical accuracy and documented evidence. He pointed to archaeological findings, including gravestones inscribed in Dhivehi, carbon-dated artefacts, centuries-old Maldivian folk accounts, and a 16th-century royal patent asserting Maldivian sovereignty over the islands.
Despite the disagreement, President Muizzu emphasised that relations between the Maldives and the United Kingdom remain strong, highlighting long-standing people-to-people ties and the historic role of British visitors in the development of Maldivian tourism.
“The Maldives has been Britain’s favourite dream holiday from the very beginning,” the President said, crediting British tourists, engineers and hospitality standards as foundational to the country’s tourism industry.
The Maldivian Government has reiterated its confidence that its claim to the Chagos Islands is supported by historical, cultural and legal evidence.