PRESS RELEASE : UK launches process to negotiate trade deal with the Republic of Maldives [June 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Business and Trade on 8 June 2023.

The UK has today launched an eight-week call for input in preparation to negotiate a goods-only Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Maldives, inviting business, organisations and individuals to help shape the UK’s negotiating aims.

Maldives is one of the few countries in the Commonwealth which the UK is not already pursuing an FTA with or does not already have preferential access to the UK market.

The public consultation will also help to identify trade barriers which pose an obstacle to UK businesses attempting to export their goods to Maldives.