President Mohamed Muizzu has extended an invitation to British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham via a formal letter to engage in official discussions regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, which currently hosts a joint UK-US military base.
According to the President’s Office, the letter highlights the Maldives' concerns following the British government’s recent decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
The President’s Office further stated that the letter conveys the Maldives' longstanding support for projects aimed at protecting Chagos' marine biodiversity and scientific research. Muizzu expressed the Maldives' readiness to maintain a constructive relationship with the United Kingdom on matters concerning the archipelago.
Furthermore, the President noted that revitalizing and strengthening the bilateral ties between the United Kingdom and the Maldives would significantly bolster stability and security in the Indian Ocean region.
The current administration assumed office with a pledge to reclaim the Chagos Archipelago and the maritime territory the Maldives claims to have lost. However, the tone previously adopted by Muizzu on this issue appears to have shifted abruptly.
Speaking on PSM’s "Nation Chat" program last July, Muizzu stated that if Chagos—which he claimed historically belonged to Maldivians—were to be handed over to any party, the Maldives would have the most legitimate claim. However, he added that maintaining the status quo would not be an issue.
"If that place [Chagos] is to be relinquished to any other country, it must be handed over to the Maldivian people, to the Maldives. There is no doubt about that. It is a historical fact that the place belonged to Maldivians in ancient times and was part of Maldivian territory," Muizzu said.
"Therefore, if Chagos is to be handed over to another country, the Maldives is the most deserving. Otherwise, continuing as it is now is not a problem."
The reason behind the sudden shift in Muizzu’s stance, where maintaining the status quo is no longer viewed as problematic, remains unclear.
On February 5, Muizzu announced that he would not honor the maritime boundary established between Mauritius and the Maldives, despite international courts ruling in favor of Mauritian sovereignty over Chagos.
Muizzu asserted that the maritime area awarded to Mauritius by the international tribunal actually belongs to the Maldives, stating that the Maldivian government would defend the territory. Following this, the Maldives National Defence Force announced they had taken control of the maritime area.
In response to these developments, Mauritius severed diplomatic ties with the Maldives. Muizzu criticized Mauritian President Dharambeer Gokhool in strong terms.
"Mauritius severing political ties with the Maldives is a very irrelevant, immature, and naive move. That decision does not change the reality. Even if political ties are cut, Mauritius will not gain a right to a place they are not entitled to," Muizzu said.
The United Kingdom agreed last year to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over the islands, citing the forced displacement of approximately 2,000 Chagos residents to Mauritius to make way for the military base.
In 2021, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled that the United Kingdom has no sovereignty over Chagos. At that time, ITLOS also demarcated the southern maritime boundary of the Maldives.
Claims of Maldivian sovereignty over Chagos began to surface during the ITLOS hearings. These claims are based on historical letters from former Maldivian monarchs asserting that Chagos was part of the Maldives.
The UK agreement involves transferring sovereignty to Mauritius while leasing the base back for an annual fee of $100 million. The issue has also drawn attention from US President Donald Trump, who has criticized the UK’s deal to hand Chagos over to Mauritius.
