President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has revealed that he sent a letter to the UK government stating that the Maldives is more deserving of sovereignty over the Chagos islands located to the south of the country.
In a lengthy speech at the Republic Day ceremony on Sunday night, Muizzu said he sent the letter in response to Britain's agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos to Mauritius.
"Recently, there were talks about the British government handing over Chagos to Mauritius and since we have a very strong historical relationship with the place, we have officially sent a letter," he stated.
"We have now sent a letter, noting that with the documents of our kings, with the historical documents available, that place can be considered as a place of greater importance to the Maldives than any other country," he added.
The President was referring to the joint statement issued by the governments of UK and Mauritius to arrange the handover of Chagos. The agreement was the result of years of negotiations between the two countries. The agreement will be finalized when they sign a treaty together.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has also ruled that Mauritius has sovereignty over the Chagos. In view of the decision, the court divided the disputed waters between the Maldives and Chagos.
President Muizzu assumed office with a pledge to reclaim the territory That had been lost to Chagos. The government promised to file an appeal within the first 100 days, but it has not yet been done.
Muizzu said this work is being done continuously and that an employee of the Attorney General's Office has been based at the UN since the beginning of his administration to work toward that goal.
He also accused the former government of acting "unlawfully" to give up part of the territory.
"In broad daylight, against the constitutional system, against the constitution, without informing the Parliament, a large part of our seas was given up."
Attorney General Ahmed Usham recently said the Maldives' appeal over the issue must be changed with advice from experts due to the UK's recent decision to cede sovereignty of Chagos.
