India and the Maldives have successfully concluded the first round of negotiations for the proposed India–Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA), marking a key step in expanding bilateral trade and investment ties. 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 in the Department of Commerce, while the Maldives delegation was headed by Chief Negotiator Yusuf Riza. During the first round, both sides held text-based discussions across eight technical sessions covering eight policy areas.
The two countries made substantive progress across the negotiating tracks and reached broad convergence on several issues during the discussions. The proposed FTA aims to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations by improving market access, facilitating investment, promoting economic cooperation, and supporting sustainable economic growth in both countries.
On 8 July 2026, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Maldives Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade Mohamed Saeed to review progress on ongoing bilateral economic initiatives, including the FTA negotiations. As both countries mark 60 years of diplomatic relations, they reaffirmed their commitment to expedite the conclusion of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The two ministers also agreed to deepen cooperation in tourism, startups, digital payments, MSMEs, and trade. India is the Maldives’ second-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade rising 13.54% to USD 771.76 million in 2025–26 from USD 679.70 million in 2024–25.
Both countries said they are working towards a broad-based, balanced, and comprehensive FTA guided by the principles of fairness and reciprocity.
India, Maldives Make Major Progress in First Round of FTA Talks
Kanika Sharma is a Geopolitical Analyst and Editor at BigBreakingWire. She holds a Master's degree in History from the Central University of Punjab, with an academic background in qualitative research, text analysis, and historical frameworks. At BigBreakingWire, she analyzes global trade shifts, international policies, geopolitical developments, semiconductor supply chains, manufacturing policies, and sovereign industrial initiatives. Her work combines historical context with contemporary policy and macroeconomic analysis to explain complex global developments clearly and accurately.
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