Online Desk: Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said the World Bank is willing to broaden its engagement with Bangladesh by strengthening and widening the existing relations.

He said the WB has expressed interest to provide US$ 700 million for the Rohingyas and the host communities as grant and soft loan respectively.

Of the US$ 700 million, the global lending agency will provide US$ 315 million for the Rohingyas as grant while US$ 385 for the greater host communities as soft loan, the foreign minister told reporters after his meeting with World Bank’s Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Abdoulaye Seck.

Hasan Mahmud said the WB has invested US$ 15 billion in 56 projects in Bangladesh at this moment.

During the courtesy meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdoulaye Seck congratulated the Foreign Minister for being appointed as Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

He mentioned that the World Bank has been intensively engaged in Bangladesh and would like to further strengthen the partnership in the coming days.

The Foreign Minister thanked the World Bank for its support since the independence of Bangladesh.

He mentioned Bangladesh’s tremendous socio-economic progress attained under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Foreign Minister requested the World Bank to support in improving the quality of people’s life, especially in the environment and health sectors of Bangladesh.

They discussed how support could be scaled up for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh.

The Foreign Minister requested the World Bank to engage with the government of Myanmar for safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.