President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the Maldives formally submitted a written objection last month against the United Kingdom's decision to hand over the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.
Delivering today's Presidential Address, the President stated that Chagos is a place known to Maldivians for centuries, long before any colonial power descended upon this region and the Maldivian ocean, and that it is a place situated within the natural territory of the Maldives, to which Maldivian ancestors have given a name in the Dhivehi language.
"The place is described in books written through Maldivian navigation and seafaring. Facts about Chagos have been passed down through oral traditions of Maldivians to this day. Likewise, history confirms that in the official documents of the Maldivian state, the Maldivian monarchy included Chagos within the sovereign boundaries of the Maldives," the President said.
The President stated that, along with these facts, the atolls of Chagos were then and are now a part of the seafaring and fishing cultural life of Maldivians, where Maldivian fishermen easily go out to fish in that area on a daily basis. Therefore, since the sovereign ties between Chagos and the Maldives are confirmed in many such ways, the President stated that the Maldivian government formally submitted written objections to the British government on 8 November 2024 and 18 January 2026, stating that the Maldives objects to and opposes the UK's decision to hand over the sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius. Furthermore, the President stated that during an online phone call with the UK Deputy Prime Minister, the Right Honourable David Lammy, on 15 December 2025, he brought this matter to his attention and informed him that the Maldivian government wishes to hold discussions with the UK government on this issue.
Revealing further work done on this issue, the President stated that if the transfer of sovereign power over Chagos to Mauritius is discussed by any country or at an international meeting, the Maldives' concerns regarding the matter have been regularly shared and advocated for. The President also stated that the Maldivian government has shared with the Mauritian government and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) its strong opposition to the negative impacts that Mauritius's policies on the economic utilization of the Chagos region could have on the Maldivian economy, especially on the fishing and tourism industries.
