The topic of a free trade agreement that would allow the Maldives to export fish to the UK without duties was not raised during last week's UK-Maldives dialogue.
Negotiations on a free trade agreement to eliminate duties on fish exports began during the administration of former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
But the matter was not discussed during the second meeting of the UK-Maldives dialogue on Wednesday.
The major topic during the meeting was addressing the UK’s change in immigration policies and resolving difficulties in obtaining visas.
The first meeting of the UK-Maldives dialogue was held on February 20, 2023, during the former government.
During the meeting, a decision was reached to act as trading partners in the fisheries industry.
Following the meeting, the UK opened a public consultation on a free trade agreement with the Maldives on June 8, 2023.
The former government worked hard to eliminate the 20 percent tax on fish imports from the Maldives to the UK.
But the current government has not raised the issue and it is not clear whether it is among the government's priorities.
Maldives is currently one of the few Commonwealth countries that has not signed a free trade agreement with the UK and does not have preferential market access.
