New Delhi, July 14 -- India and the Maldives have moved a step closer to signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) after the successful conclusion of the first round of negotiations, with both countries making substantive progress across multiple negotiating tracks and reaffirming their commitment to expedite the agreement.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the first round of India-Maldives FTA negotiations was held in virtual mode from June 29 to July 7, with negotiating teams from both sides holding text-based discussions across eight technical sessions covering eight policy areas.

Highlighting the progress made, the ministry said, "Both sides made substantive progress across the negotiating tracks and reached broad conve...