Former President Mohamed Nasheed said today that Mauritius, which has severed diplomatic ties with the Maldives, is ready to engage in dialogue with the Maldivian government.
Mauritius decided to cut ties over the Maldives' refusal to recognize its sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago and the Maldivian government's opposition to the agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius to transfer the islands.
Speaking to reporters upon his return from a conference on Indian Ocean security, Nasheed noted that he met and held discussions with the Foreign Minister of Mauritius during his trip.
Nasheed said that when he requested the Mauritian Foreign Minister to discuss the ongoing dispute between the two nations, the Minister expressed his readiness to do so.
"I urged the Minister to engage with the Maldives to find a peaceful resolution to these issues. It is never ideal to lack diplomatic relations with neighboring countries. They are ready to talk," Nasheed said.
He expressed hope that the Maldivian government would initiate dialogue with Mauritius regarding the matter.
On February 5, President Mohamed Muizzu announced that his administration would not abide by international court rulings granting Mauritius sovereignty over Chagos, nor the subsequent maritime boundary delimitation between the Maldives and Mauritius.
Chagos currently serves as a UK military base. Last year, the United Kingdom agreed to transfer sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius. Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over Chagos, citing the forced displacement of approximately 2,000 inhabitants to Mauritius to make way for the military base.
In 2021, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas (ITLOS) ruled that the UK has no sovereignty over Chagos. At that time, ITLOS also defined the southern maritime boundary of the Maldives.
Claims of Maldivian sovereignty over Chagos gained momentum during the ITLOS hearings. These claims are rooted in historical documents and letters from former Maldivian Sultans asserting that Chagos was once part of the Maldives.
Under the proposed agreement, the UK would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius and then lease the territory back for USD 100 million annually. The issue has recently drawn international attention, including criticism from US President Donald Trump regarding the UK’s deal to hand over the islands to Mauritius.
