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Financial Times: US plans talks on economy with Bangladesh leader Muhammad Yunus


FILE -Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus signs a document after taking the oath of office as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 8, 2024.
FILE -Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus signs a document after taking the oath of office as the head of Bangladesh's interim government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 8, 2024.

The United States is set to launch economic talks this week with Bangladesh's interim government, including its leader, Muhammad Yunus, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

The government led by the Nobel Peace laureate was sworn in last month with the aim of holding elections in the South Asian nation after the ouster of prime minister Sheik Hasina following deadly protests against quotas for government jobs.

"The United States is optimistic that, by implementing needed reforms, Bangladesh can address its economic vulnerabilities and build a foundation for continued growth and increased prosperity," Brent Neiman, assistant U.S. Treasury secretary for international finance, told the newspaper.

A delegation of treasury, state and trade officials, is expected to discuss Bangladesh's fiscal and monetary policy and also the health of its financial system, the paper said.

The talks will be held on Saturday and Sunday in the capital, Dhaka, it added.

Officials in Bangladesh's finance ministry and Yunus' office said they were not aware of the visit.

Bangladesh's $450-billion economy has slowed sharply since the Russia-Ukraine war pushed up prices of fuel and food imports, forcing it to turn to the International Monetary Fund last year for a $4.7-billion bailout.

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    Reuters

    Reuters is a news agency founded in 1851 and owned by the Thomson Reuters Corporation based in Toronto, Canada. One of the world's largest wire services, it provides financial news as well as international coverage in over 16 languages to more than 1000 newspapers and 750 broadcasters around the globe.

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