On Friday evening, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has convened a special meeting with the cabinet to discuss the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)' decision on the case regarding the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago.

At the meeting held at the President’s Office the members of the cabinet held extensive discussions on the outcomes of the Tribunal’s hearings.

The Government considers today’s ITLOS Special Chamber concluded favourably for the Maldives owing to the fact that the tribunal ruled unanimously in favour of the Maldives with regard to the alleged claim by Mauritius to a continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and furthermore, agreed with the Maldives claim that Blenheim reef may not be used as a base point thereby according 47232 sq kilometres - the larger portion of the overlapping area- to the Maldives.