There is no political agenda behind the case ongoing at ITOLS: Miuvan

There is no political agenda behind the case ongoing at International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITOLS) to determine the maritime border of Maldives, says Spokesperson at the President's Office, Miuvan Mohamed.

Miuvan stated this at the press conference held at the President's Office on Monday.

ITLOS in Germany is currently hearing a territorial dispute over an area between the Maldives and Chagos Archipelago. The case was filed against Maldived by Mauritius.

Speaking at the press conference, Miuvan noted that administration is taking into accord the expert opinion of all government institutions, the state legal team as well as the international legal team, in the case. He stated that the Maldives is being represented by professional experts of the government institutions.

He stated that the administration is well aware of the all steps taken regarding the case.

Miuvan went on to refute the claims being made regarding the administration's stated in the case.

The lead counsel of Maldives Professor Payan Akhavan also took part at the conference. He noted that Maldives has shown a good performance at the hearing and assured that the current legal team of Maldives is an experienced team that has taken on similar cases before.

President's Office has stated that the Maldives has never claimed that it has any sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. However, the administration states that it will not handover any Maldivian territory.

The current case ongoing at ITLOS to determine the maritime border of Maldives is different from the case where Maldives have decided to vote in favor of the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in United Nations.

As such, the President's Office highlights that the administration's stand regarding the issue brought up by Mauritius stating that Maldivian Economic Zone extends into the Chagos Archipelago, remains unchanged.

Chagos Archipelago comprises of seven atolls with more than 60 islands. The archipelago is located about 500 kilometers south of the Maldives.