IMF partnership conditional on public interest protection: Khosru

The Bangladesh government will only consider entering a future programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if the agreement protects public interest and strengthens the country’s economic security, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said.

Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday, the finance minister said the government would not accept any IMF arrangement that conflicted with the interests of the Bangladeshi people.

He said the administration’s priority was not simply to obtain external financial assistance but to preserve economic stability while ensuring that national interests remained fully protected.

Amir Khosru said the previous IMF programme, negotiated under the former government, contained several conditions that the current elected administration believed did not align with its economic priorities. As a result, the government decided not to continue with that arrangement.

He stressed that any future discussions with the Washington-based lender would be guided by terms that support Bangladesh’s long-term economic objectives and safeguard the country’s financial independence.

The minister also outlined plans to reform Bangladesh’s visa policy as part of the government’s wider effort to modernise the country’s economy and improve its international competitiveness.

According to Amir Khosru, the existing visa system will be simplified to encourage more international tourists, attract greater foreign investment and enhance global confidence in Bangladesh as a destination for business.

He said the planned changes form part of the government’s broader vision of creating a more open and modern Bangladesh while supporting sustainable economic growth.

During the briefing, the finance minister also paid tribute to former Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad and former Acting President Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, expressing profound sorrow over his death.

He described Sircar as a principled and accomplished statesman whose contribution to Bangladesh’s political life would be remembered with respect, adding that the country had suffered an irreplaceable loss with his passing.