Govt: FTA negotiations with UK ongoing, not dropped

The Maldivian government, on Tuesday, has denied claims that it has dropped negotiations with the United Kingdom (UK) on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) following Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed’s remarks at the Parliament earlier in the day, stating there are no documents explicitly indicating UK’s intent to abide by such an agreement.

During Tuesday’s parliamentary sitting, opposition MDP’s South Galolhu MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem, citing the duty levied on Maldivian fish exports to the UK was reduced from 24 percent to 20 percent through efforts undertaken by the last MDP administration, questioned Minister Saeed regarding what “stage” the FTA between Maldives and UK, which was “discussed” to take effect this year.  

In response, Minister Saeed said the FTA was initially put forth on October 16, 2016, in a document with his signature, after UK proposed to withdraw from the European Union (EU), adding that the country reduced the 24 percent tariff to 20 percent after Brexit.

The Minister added that this is a tariff levied on all countries with which the UK has not executed a preferential agreement.

He further said the Ministry does not have any documents indicating UK’s intent to abide by an FTA starting from this year.

Referring to Minister Saeed’s remarks, Meekail, via a post on X, claimed it was a confirmation that Maldives has dropped FTA negotiations with the UK, adding there is no hope for lower tariffs on fish exports under President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration.

Attending Parliament to answer a question sent in June this year, Minister of Economic Development @em_saeed confirms Maldives has indeed dropped UK-Maldives Free Trade Agreement negotiations, and there is no hope for a lower tariff on fish exports under the Muizz administration.

— Meekail Naseem (@MickailNaseem) October 14, 2025

Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam replied to Meekail’s post, citing the claim was “categorically false” as Minister Saeed, at no point, stated that the Maldivian government dropped FTA negotiations with the UK.

Minister Shiyam affirmed that negotiations to secure tariff-free fish exports to the UK market are actively ongoing, adding that President Muizzu’s recent visit to the UK marked a significant step towards amplifying and fast-tracking these efforts.

The Minister affirmed the current administration’s commitment to protecting the Maldives’ fisheries industry and ensuring fair and equitable trade opportunities for Maldivian fishers.

The allegation that Minister @em_saeed “confirmed the Maldives has dropped the UK–Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations” is categorically false. At no point did the Minister say that in his statement.

Negotiations to secure tariff-free access for the world’s most… https://t.co/Ob6PdWlmzA

— Ahmed Shiyam (@Shiyamaldives) October 14, 2025

Speaking with Sun three years ago during his tenure as the Economic Minister, MDP’s chairperson Fayyaz Ismail said the administration was highly hopeful that tariffs levied on Maldivian fish exports by the UK and other European countries would be dropped or reduced. Although he was unable to provide specific dates at the time, Fayyaz confirmed that discussions to drop tariffs levied on Maldivian fish exports by the UK and other European countries had been ongoing for a while.