<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>World Bank (WB) new Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser has said the WB will remain beside Bangladesh as a partner in adopting economic policies to overcome the challenges of development.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Raiser said this at a meeting with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday night. This is his first visit to Bangladesh after taking over as WB Vice President. Martin Raiser arrived in Dhaka on September 19 on a three-day visit.</div><div><br></div><div>Raiser praised Bangladesh's economic development in the meeting with the Finance Minister. He also appreciated the timely steps taken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to face the crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic situation.</div><div><br></div><div>The finance minister said that the WB is one of the development partners of Bangladesh. The organization has provided budget support to various development projects in Bangladesh including education, health, electricity, and disaster management sectors.</div><div><br></div><div>Kamal also thanked the WB for its support in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic .</div><div><br></div><div>The Finance Minister emphasized further partnership of the World Bank in various initiatives for the socio-economic development of the country.</div><div><br></div><div>Raiser called the continuity of Bangladesh's progress an exemplary example for many countries in the world and said that Bangladesh is one of the countries receiving the highest IDA loans.</div><div><br></div><div>Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, Finance Department Senior Secretary Fatima Yasmin, Economic Relations Department Secretary Sharifa Khan, Financial Institutions Department Secretary Sheikh Mohammad Saleem Ullah, and others were present at the meeting. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>