The Government of Mauritius has announced the immediate suspension of all diplomatic relations with the Maldives, following the Maldivian administration’s renewed assertion of its legitimate claim over the Chagos Archipelago.

The decision was conveyed in a communiqué issued by the Mauritian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and confirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office after a Cabinet meeting.

According to the statement, Mauritius acted in response to what it views as a reversal of the Maldives’ earlier recognition of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, as well as the Maldives’ formal objections to an agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the archipelago’s future status.

The suspension comes in the wake of remarks by President Mohamed Muizzu during his Presidential Address at the opening of the current parliamentary term, in which he announced the withdrawal of a 22 August 2022 letter sent by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Mauritian Prime Minister that had acknowledged Mauritius’ sovereign authority over Chagos.

The current administration argues that this letter weakened the Maldives’ legal position and contributed to an outcome that adversely affected the country’s maritime entitlements in the area.

In the same address, President Muizzu announced that Maldives' government has sent letters to the UK government on November 8, 2024 and January 18, 2026,rejecting the UK’s decision to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago (Foalhavahi) to Mauritius and calling for Maldivian interests to be taken into account.

He added that, in a telephone conversation on 15 December 2025 with British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, he reiterated the Maldives’ wish for further consultations on the issue, and confirmed that the government has notified both Mauritius and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) of its strong opposition to any Mauritian economic policies in the Chagos region that might harm the Maldivian economy, particularly the fisheries and tourism sectors.

This marked the first time this year that the government's correspondence to the UK on the Chagos issue was publicly disclosed.

The dispute has also drawn attention in the United Kingdom.

In a recent intervention in the House of Commons, Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, argued that the Maldives has what he described as the strongest claim to the Chagos Islands and suggested that Maldives may soon submit a case to the International Court of Justice.

His comments, framed around historical and geographical considerations, have added to the political controversy surrounding the UK’s proposed agreement to transfer sovereignty over the archipelago to Mauritius.

Diplomatic relations between Mauritius and the Maldives were first established on 15 January 1981, with Maldivian representation to Mauritius currently handled through its High Commission in Sri Lanka Masood Imad.