The Mohamed Muizzu administration is still seeking advice on how to proceed at the
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to recover the territory “lost” from the Maldives’ southern sea, Attorney General (AG) Ahmed Usham said during a press conference at the President’s Office on Saturday.
Usham said that, while efforts to establish the nation’s claim to the region were underway, the advice of international authorities was currently being sought.
“In line with the developments [of the case] we are now seeking the advice of international experts. One opinion has been received. I am waiting for more opinions,” the AG said.
Usham said that the manner in which the issue should be broached could possibly change depending on the advice of experts.
The administration’s ‘Week14′ plan, which was unveiled two days before the swearing in of President Muizzu on 17 November 2023, lists establishing the Maldives’ claim over the territory as a key milestone.
While the Maldives had remained undecided on how to move forward with establishing naval sovereignty over the ocean area south of the nation, the UK, on 3 October, ceded sovereignty over the Chargos Islands—south of the Maldives—to Mauritius. Mauritius, in return, will allow the US Navy base at Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, to continue operating there for the next 99 years.
The Democrats had earlier issued a press statement expressing their deep concern over the Muizzu administration’s inaction on the issue, criticising the failure to take decisive action as a repeat of what the party had condemned during the previous Ibrahim Mohamed Solih administration.
