While the United Nations, on Wednesday, voted overwhelmingly to demand the UK hand over control of the Chagos islands to Mauritius, Maldives voted against the resolution.
Maldives, along with the United States, Hungary, Israel and Australia voted against the resolution, while 56 countries abstained from the vote. 116 nations were in favor of the motion, which sets a six-month deadline for Britain to withdraw from the Chagos island chain and for the islands to be reunified with neighboring Mauritius.
The motion endorses an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on February 25.
Explaining the reason behind Maldives’ decision to vote no at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Maldives’ Permanent Representative Thilmeeza Hussain emphasized that the country’s vote “should not be construed as a vote or a position taken against the co-sponsors of the resolution with whom, we have excellent relations.”
“The Maldives has always supported all processes concerning the colonization of territories within the United Nations. It will not deny any people’s their right to self-determination. As a responsible member of the United Nations, we strongly abide by the principles of the UN charter, and express our support for a rule-based international order. The Maldives’ record in the general assembly would reflect this fact. The Maldives also supports and accepts the jurisdiction and role of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle disputes and to give advisory opinions on important legal questions referred to it by the bodies of United Nations. We strongly believe that the acceptance of the role of ICJ is paramount, in solidifying the supremacy of international law in a rule-based system and in the peaceful settlement of international disputes," noted the ambassador.
However, she noted that the Maldives does not believe that “a decision made by any international body that does not reflect the genuine interests of the states concerned can amount to an effective and long lasting solution.”
She added that the Maldives “has always” believed that Chagos archipelago issues “would be best addressed through dialogue between the states concerned.”
Ambassador Thilmeeza highlighted that the resolution will have “serious implications” for Maldives.
“While we fully respect the advisory opinion of the ICJ on this matter, the resolution before us pre-judges the implication of submission by the Maldives to the Commission on the limits of the continental shelf, which was done in July 2010. Without due process and clarity on the legal implications of the contested matter, Maldives is not in a position to support the resolution solely as a matter of decolonization. For the Maldives, any uncertainty concerning the issue of Chagos archipelago will have serious implications for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and to the wider security of the Indian Ocean region. It is for these reasons the Maldives will vote no, on the resolution," she noted.
Chagossians were forcibly removed to make way for a US military facility on Diego Garcia, between 1967 and 1973. Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968, maintains that the islands are its own, and says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group in 1965 in exchange for independence.
