India–Maldives Free Trade Agreement Negotiations Concludes Successfully
In a major step towards expanding bilateral trade and investment engagement, the first round of negotiations for the India–Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA) concluded successfully. The negotiations were held in virtual mode from 29 June to 7 July 2026.
India’s negotiating team was led by Chief Negotiator Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, while the Maldives delegation was led by its Chief Negotiator Yusuf Riza.
During the first round, negotiating teams from both sides engaged in text-based discussions across eight technical sessions covering eight policy areas. Both sides made substantive progress across the negotiating tracks and reached broad convergence on several issues.
India is the second-largest trading partner of the Maldives. Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at USD 771.76 million in 2025–26, compared to USD 679.70 million in 2024–25, registering a growth of 13.54 per cent.(UPDATED ON 14TH JULY 2026)
