Muizzu invites Burnham for talks over Chagos

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) invited British Prime Minister Andrew Burnham for talks on the disputed Chagos Islands.

In a letter to the British Prime Minister, President Muizzu “expressed the Maldives’ concerns regarding the United Kingdom’s decision to proceed with the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius”, his office said in a statement.

In May 2025, Britain signed an agreement with Mauritius to transfer sovereignty over the contested and strategically located Chagos Islands, saying the move would ensure the future of a U.S.-U.K. military base vital to British security. U.S. President Donald Trump criticised the agreement, calling it “a big mistake”. In April this year, however, the British government put on hold its deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands — home to the ‌U.S.-British Diego Garcia air base — and shelved the legislation needed for the move.

Since the beginning of this year, the Maldives has voiced opposition to the United Kingdom’s decision to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago (Foalhavahi) to Mauritius, with President Muizzu maintaining that the Maldives holds “the most legitimate claim” to the archipelago based on historical ties between the Maldives and Chagos.

In his letter, Mr. Muizzu highlighted the “shared history and cultural ties” between the Indian Ocean archipelago, as well as the Maldives’s “longstanding support for major marine conservation and scientific research expeditions in the region.” He “reaffirmed” the Maldives’s commitment” to maintaining a reliable and constructive partnership with the United Kingdom on matters relating to Chagos, while safeguarding the legitimate interests of the Maldivian state and its people, his office said.

Mr. Muizzu “expressed hope that renewed engagement and partnership” between the two countries would contribute to stability and security in the Indian Ocean, “particularly at a time of increasing global uncertainty”, his office further said.