On Friday evening, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih stated that 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 was a great win for the Maldives and the people of the Maldives. He made this statement at a special cabinet meeting held at the President’s Office.
Speaking at the meeting, the President stated that the Maldives has been fighting for this issue for several years and described it as a key milestone that established the Maldives' southern maritime boundary.
President Solih stated that the government prioritized the well-being of its citizens and the country in resolving this issue. He stated that, despite some people spreading misinformation that obscured the reality of the situation, the manner in which the issue was resolved cleared up any misconceptions about it.
At the meeting, cabinet members commended the President on his hard work in initiating and pursuing the case in the ITLOS, and expressed gratitude to the President and the Attorney General, as well as his team and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for their roles in winning the case in the tribunal.
They also discussed what the relevant Ministries would do to accommodate the changes now that the Maldives' maritime boundary has been established.
In this regard, since the Maldives' southern exclusive economic zone was established for the first time, the President directed the Ministry of Defence to provide the Maldives National Defense Force with the necessary modern technology and to devise mechanisms to monitor the area.
He directed the Ministry of Economic Development to develop plans for maximizing economic benefits from the area. Similarly, he directed the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology; the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Recourses, and Agriculture; the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation; and the Ministry of Tourism to explore potential uses and utilise the area.
