Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Monday thanked Asian Development Bank (ADB) for providing Bangladesh USD $ 1 billion as budget aid to face the adverse economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The minister was addressing a meeting at a city hotel with visiting ADB vice president (operation) Shixin Chen.
Kamal praised the ADB’s role as the ’main development partner’ of Bangladesh. Since independence, Manila-based and mainly Japan-funded ADB provided $27 billion loan aid to the country.
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The finance minister hoped for continued cooperation of ADB for socio-economic development and poverty alleviation in Bangladesh.
In response, ADB’s vice president Chen has assured Kamal to continue ADB’s aid for recovery of the economy from the loss of pandemic and for socio economic improvement.
Bangladesh Bank’s Governor Fazle Kabir, finance secretary Abdur Rouf Talukther, Economic Relation Division Secretary Fatema Yasmin, ADB’s deputy director Manmohan Parkash, Country Director Mr. Edimon Ginting, among others, present in the meeting.