The United Kingdom has stated that the sovereignty dispute over the Chagos Archipelago is a bilateral matter exclusively between the UK and Mauritius, and does not involve the Maldives.

Responding to questions from Turkey’s Anadolu Agency regarding the Maldives’ renewed engagement on the Chagos issue, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the matter concerns only the United Kingdom and Mauritius.

According to Anadolu Agency, the UK Foreign Office added that this position is reflected in rulings and statements issued by international courts and institutions.

The response comes after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, in his presidential address delivered last Thursday, announced the Maldives’ decision to re-engage in the Chagos issue.

The President said the government would withdraw a letter sent by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Prime Minister of Mauritius and pursue all available legal avenues to reclaim maritime territory the Maldives considers rightfully its own.

The current administration has previously maintained that the Maldives lost a significant portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the southern maritime region due to how the boundary dispute was handled by the previous government.

As a result, the administration has pledged to conduct a comprehensive review of the issue and take all possible steps to recover the lost maritime area.

In October 2024, the United Kingdom announced its decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.

However, it was specified that the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, would remain under their control.

The UK Foreign Office has since reaffirmed that these arrangements remain in force, citing their importance to regional and international security.

The United Kingdom has administered the Chagos Archipelago since 1814, after later separating the territory from Mauritius in 1965.

During that process, more than 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly displaced to Mauritius and other locations.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK must end its administration of the Chagos Islands, declaring that the forced removal of the islands’ native population was unlawful.