Overview
- Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has written to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to request reopening negotiations and to invite Burnham to hold direct talks on sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago.
- The Maldives says its claim rests on historical ties and closer geographic proximity to Chagos and says it was deeply disappointed that it was not consulted before the UK negotiated a handover to Mauritius.
- The UK Foreign Office says sovereignty discussions were launched with Mauritius and that the question of ownership is a bilateral matter between the UK and Mauritius.
- A 2025 agreement by the previous UK government to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while leasing back the Diego Garcia base has been put on hold after the United States withdrew support, leaving ratification stalled.
- What to watch next: whether Prime Minister Burnham accepts Maldives' invitation, how Mauritius and the United States respond, and whether renewed talks could affect the future of the US‑UK military facilities on Diego Garcia.