French President Emmanuel Macron and Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina will meet in Paris on Monday to discuss the future of the long-disputed Scattered Islands – a chain of uninhabited islets in the Indian Ocean with big geopolitical, ecological and symbolic value.

The bilateral commission, the first of its kind since 2019, marks a cautious reopening of dialogue over the Îles Éparses (Scattered Islands) – five islets run by France but claimed by Madagascar since the 1970s.

All the islands are nature preserves with a total land area of just 43km². But they each come with an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), giving the governing country rights to resources in more than 640,000km² of nearby waters full of fish and possible gas reserves.

In the colonial period, all the islands were part of Madagascar, which was under French rule from 1896 to 1960. They were split off just before Madagascar gained independence. Two UN General Assembly votes in 1979 and 1980 said the move was illegal and called for the islands to be returned.

“Madagascar remains attached to a solution respectful of its historical rights and international law,” said Malagasy Foreign Minister Rasata Rafaravavitafika ahead of the talks. “Every step forward is a recognition of the legitimacy of our claim.”