Defense Ministry says missing maritime area remains Maldivian territory and will be protected by MNDF

The Ministry of Defense has stated that the maritime area missing from the ITLOS‑delimited zone remains Maldivian territory, and that the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) will continue to protect and maintain the full 200‑nautical‑mile zone defined under Maldivian law.

The statement came after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, in his Presidential Statement on Thursday, reiterated that the Government of Maldives does not accept any change to the territories defined in the Constitution and Maldivian law.

According to the Defense Ministry, the 200‑nautical‑mile maritime zone measured from the archipelagic baselines established under the Maldives’ Sea Zones Act constitutes the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The ministry noted that the Maldives has no maritime agreements with any country other than the 1976 Trijunction Point agreement signed with India and Sri Lanka in the Gulf of Mannar.

The ministry said the government maintains that the Maldives has a full 200‑nautical‑mile EEZ, except for the northern area already delimited. As such, it remains the legal responsibility of the MNDF to safeguard the entire zone.

The ministry added that the MNDF will continue to maintain the area “with sincerity, care and determination” to the full extent of its capabilities.

The current administration came to power pledging to recover what it described as the “lost sea” under the previous government. However, the President has since stated that the government will not pursue efforts to reclaim the area.

ITLOS’ decision, which followed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion affirming Mauritius’ sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, resulted in the division of a disputed 95,000‑square‑kilometre maritime area between Mauritius and the Maldives.