Bangladesh to consider IMF partnership only if public interest is protected: Finance minister

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Sunday said that any future partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be pursued only if it safeguards public interest and protects the country's economic security.

"The government would not join any IMF programme that goes against the interests of the people," he said while speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, according to a press release.

Referring to the previous IMF programme undertaken by the former government, the minister said that it included a number of conditions that the present elected government considered inconsistent with its policy priorities and, therefore, decided to withdraw from that arrangement.

He said the government's objective is not merely to secure external financing but to ensure economic stability while protecting the interests of the people.

Any future engagement with the IMF, he added, would be based on terms that fully safeguard Bangladesh's national interests.

The minister also said the government is working to modernise the country's visa policy as part of its broader vision of building a modern Bangladesh.

He said the existing visa regime would be simplified to facilitate greater tourist arrivals, attract foreign investment and strengthen international confidence in Bangladesh's economy.

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During the briefing, Khosru also expressed deep sorrow at the death of Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, former speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and former acting president of Bangladesh.

He described Jamiruddin Sircar as a capable and principled statesman, saying his contributions to the country's politics would be remembered with respect and that his death is an irreparable loss to the nation.