During a press conference held after Friday’s cabinet meeting, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) had made a decision to fully demarcate the territory of Maldives.
The President stated that the country’s southern border had previously been in dispute, but the ITLOS decision had settled the issue between Maldives and Seychelles in compliance with international laws.
He also mentioned that, as a party to the Law of the Sea Convention since 2000, Maldives must use the principle distance to resolve overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) disputes.
The President further declared that this decision marks a significant victory for the Maldives and its people as the nation’s maritime boundary has been fully settled in compliance with international law.
During the press conference, the President also addressed concerns about the Chagos Islands, stating that the Maldives had never claimed sovereignty over them and that Mauritius’ proposed marine protected area would not impact Maldives’ fisheries in the area.
ITLOS supported the Maldives’ stance while concluding the dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius on the overlapping maritime boundary issue. The verdict favoured the Maldives in its claim, according 47232 sq kilometres – the larger portion of the overlapping area- to the Maldives.
