No decision yet on release of next IMF loan tranche: Bangladesh embassy in Washington

No decision has yet been made on the release of the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund's loan programme, the press wing of the Bangladesh embassy in Washington has said. 

In a press release issued yesterday (17 April), the embassy said the IMF has not taken any such decision. 

It also clarified that no meeting took place between Bangladesh and the global lender on Thursday (16 April), as previously mentioned. 

Instead, the meeting was held yesterday, where no such discussion or decision took place, the release added.

According to the statement, on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings, a Bangladesh delegation led by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury held two rounds of meetings with the IMF.

In the morning, the minister met Krishna Srinivasan, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department. In the afternoon, he met IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke.

During the meetings, the minister presented the BNP government's approach to state governance and its electoral commitments, the embassy statement said.  

Discussions were held on increasing revenue and reforming the banking and financial sectors. Both sides agreed on most issues, according to the release. 

Both sides also agreed that further discussions are needed on some matters. The minister highlighted the government's firm stance on issues related to public interest. In some cases, the two sides did not reach an agreement, the statement said.

The press release added that both sides agreed to continue discussions and expressed confidence that a consensus could be reached through dialogue. 

According to the release, the IMF clearly stated that it is a development partner of Bangladesh and wants to remain alongside the country during the tenure of the democratically elected government.