The Maldives denied reports that it was in talks with Sri Lanka over a free economic and free movement zone, after Sri Lankan media reported early discussions on such an arrangement. Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed dismissed the claims as untrue, saying they had not been thought of or discussed.
One outlet so far Only Maldives Republic has reported this among the sources we monitor. A gap in what we monitor, not proof that others did not report it.
Sri Lankan media outlet Lanka-e-News reported on Wednesday that Colombo and Malé were in early talks over an arrangement that could allow citizens of both countries to live, work, study, own property and access public services in each other's territory without visas or work permits.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report
However, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed on Friday dismissed the claims, posting on X:
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Talks that the government is trying to establish a commercial duty free zone between the Maldives and Sri Lanka are untrue. It has not been thought of or discussed yet.
Nothing to compare yet. If another monitored source reports it, its headline appears beside this one.
Some experts have warned of the risk of being economically overshadowed by Sri Lanka, which has a population over 40 times larger.
Word for word from the report in Maldives Republic. Open the report