Dhaka, Sept 01 (V7N): Finance Adviser Dr. Saleh Uddin Ahmed has announced that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is inclined to provide Bangladesh with an additional $3 billion in budget support.

Speaking to journalists at the Bangladesh Secretariat today (1 September), Dr. Ahmed noted that the IMF sought clarification on whether the interim government plans to implement the reforms associated with the $4.7 billion loan.

"I assured them that reform implementation has already begun, and we are committed to seeing it through," Dr. Ahmed said. "We have expressed our interest in securing another $3 billion in budget support, and the IMF is very positive about this. I plan to discuss this further with the IMF Managing Director in Washington during the board meeting in October," he added.

The finance adviser also mentioned that the IMF's review mission is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in September.

Regarding the Rooppur nuclear power plant project, Dr. Ahmed confirmed that it will proceed as planned. Bangladesh has requested a two-year extension for loan repayments to Russia, and the Russian ambassador to Bangladesh has responded positively.

"The Russian ambassador was initially concerned about the continuation of the Rooppur project and loan repayments, but I assured him that we will adhere to our repayment schedule," he stated.

The announcement follows a virtual meeting on August 29 between Resident Representative Jayendu De and the finance adviser, with Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder also present.

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