The administration has begun work to review the relevant documents and take all necessary steps to regain the southern ocean territory of the Maldives.
The administration has stated that the policy of the previous government regarding the maritime dispute case filed by Mauritius at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) was contrary to the Constitution and the laws of the Maldives. Therefore, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) has been tasked with taking all necessary steps to appeal the decision made by ITLOS as part of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's roadmap for his first 14 days in office.
In a press release, the President's Office stated that the AGO has begun work obtain all documents related to the case while the administration seeks the advice of national and international experts on the legal position and actions taken by the previous government regarding the dispute. The AGO has constituted a special committee to supervise the work and expedite it.
The committee consists of former Attorney General Mohamed Anil, Colonel Ahmed Mujthaba representing the military, and Secretary (multilateral) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Shian. The committee is chaired by Anil, who is conducting the work without charge.
The AGO has received a copy of the letter former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sent to the Prime Minister of Mauritius on August 22, 2022. The letter refers to a meeting they held on the sidelines of the Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting in Rwanda in June 2022. However, the President's Office stated that the records do not show that the two countries exchanged documents with details of the meeting.
In the letter, President Solih also said the Maldives will vote 'yes' on the United Nations General Assembly Resolution entitled 'Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. The President expressed hope that this would result in a resolution to the Mauritius' objection to the Maldives' July 2010 submission to the Commission on The Limits of The Continental Shelf (CLCS).
The President's Office stated that there are no records showing that the two countries exchanged any documents regarding the issue, despite the wording of the letter indicating that it was sent by President Solih to come to an agreement with Mauritius on certain matters.
The AGO will draft a report on the information gathered regarding the dispute and the previous government's policies and actions and submit it to the President and the Parliament. The President's Office stated that the administration will take all necessary measures to maintain the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It added that the President's Office and the State places the interests of the Maldives as their highest priority.