B Mirror Report: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reiterated that it remains a development partner of Bangladesh and expressed its willingness to continue supporting the country during the tenure of the democratically elected government.

The assurance came during two meetings held on Friday between a visiting Bangladesh delegation, led by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, and IMF officials on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, DC.

According to a press release issued by the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, the first meeting took place in the morning with Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, and his team. The second meeting was held in the afternoon with IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke and his team.

Both meetings were described as positive and constructive. During the discussions, the finance minister highlighted the governance approach of the current elected government along with key commitments outlined in the BNP’s election manifesto.

Key issues discussed included measures to increase revenue collection and reforms in the banking and financial sectors. The two sides reached agreement on most matters, while acknowledging that further discussions are required on certain issues.

The finance minister emphasized the government’s firm stance on matters directly related to public interest. although differences of opinion remained on some issues both sides agreed to continue dialogue, expressing optimism that consensus could be achieved through mutual discussion.

Meanwhile, the press wing of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington clarified that reports published in some newspapers claiming the IMF had suspended the next tranche of its loan due to reform failures are completely untrue.