Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has rejected allegations made by South Galolhu MP Meekail Naseem during Monday’s parliamentary sitting, describing them as unfounded and misleading.

The exchange arose when MP Meekail took to X stating that Minister Saeed had lied in parliament regarding the status of the United Kingdom–Maldives Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. In response, Minister Saeed dismissed the MP’s assertions and clarified the matter publicly on his X account.

In his post, Minister Saeed stated that the claim suggesting the Maldives had abandoned FTA negotiations with the United Kingdom was entirely false. During the parliamentary session earlier in the day, Minister Saeed had asserted that there is no record of UK tariff’s being lowered during the MDP administration. 

Minister Saeed called MP Meekail Naseem out for misguiding the public after posing an inaccurate question in the parliament. 

The Minister also highlighted that President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s recent visit to the United Kingdom was a key step towards accelerating these efforts. He further criticised the previous administration, noting that local fishers continue to face the impact of its mismanagement, including artificially inflated tuna purchase prices based on false claims that the FTA was nearing completion.

Minister Saeed reiterated that the current Government remains firmly committed to safeguarding the nation’s fisheries sector and ensuring fair, equitable trade opportunities for Maldivian fishers in international markets.