I was able to resolve the issue following Apple's recommendation to set price of my free app as 0.
Sign in to App Store Connect and click My Apps.
Click the app you want to edit.
In the sidebar, click “Pricing and Availability.”
Below Availability, click Edit. You must choose a price for your app before you can edit countries or regions.
Select the countries or regions you want your app available in.
Click Done.
Click Save.
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