Bangladesh is standing on a solid foundation economically, said Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Joint General Secretary of Awami League. Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not the same.
Bangladesh can be Sri Lanka - Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader's statement and BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi's statement that Bangladesh's reserves are now at an all-time low, the information minister told reporters at Chittagong Press Club on Friday. Earlier, he cut the cake for the 25th anniversary of satellite television ATN Bengal.
Information Minister said, 'Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not the same. Bangladesh has not delayed even one installment of its foreign debt till date. Bangladesh ranks highest among developing countries in terms of timely repayment of loans. I knew Mr. GM Kader to be an educated person. I don't understand why he spoke like Udbhrant and BNP's Rizvi.
External debt is responsible for Sri Lanka's current predicament. Dr. said that the amount of debt of Bangladesh is safe. Hasan Mahmud said, 'Interest expenditure against our foreign debt is only 2 percent of GDP. Government debt is 36 percent of GDP. Government borrowing can be up to 55 percent of GDP. Our external debt is only 16 percent of GDP. External debt up to 45 percent of GDP is secured. What can I say to politicians who do not read these economic indices?'
The minister also said, 'Bangladesh is standing on a solid foundation economically. That's why international media like Bloomberg has published the list of countries with risky economy in the world, but Bangladesh is not named in the list of countries including Pakistan, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco etc. I would tell our politicians, who are talking about this, to do some studying.'
