Finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Tuesday said that the recent statement by US Intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard would not make any impact on the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the US.
He made the comment as he was replying to a question after an advisory council meeting on the government purchase at secretariat.
On Monday, the US Intelligence chief told NDTV World, an Indian news media outlet, that the US was deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh.
Speaking about the persecution of religious minorities, she said that the Trump administration was focused and committed to defeat 鈥業slamist terrorism鈥� globally.
The interim government in Bangladesh in a statement on Monday said that Tulsi Gabbard鈥檚 remarks about Bangladesh in an interview with NDTV World were misleading and not based on evidence.
The finance adviser said the current relations between Bangladesh and the US would continue to grow in the coming years.
Replying to another question on the country鈥檚 graduation from least developed countries from 2026, the finance adviser expected that it would be smooth.
Calling the county鈥檚 overall preparation good despite some flaws, he said many LDCs were looking at Bangladesh.
Besides, the UN wants Bangladesh to make the graduation to set the example for other countries.
Focusing on edible oil market, the finance adviser said the government needed to be cleverer to deal with the businesses.
The supply shortage of edible oils has been going over the past two months with commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin expecting supply situation to be improved soon.聽聽
The finance adviser said the businesses had kept the imported soya bean oils on the vessels at outer anchorage.
Earlier, the advisory council on the government purchase approved proposals for procurement of 2 cargos liquefied natural gas, 1.1 crore liters of rice bran oil and 50,000 metric tonnes of non-Basmati rice.
Petrobangla will procure one cargo LNG from the spot market to be supplied by M/S Total Energies Gas and Power Ltd, United Kingdom with per unit LNG at $14.48.
The same UK company will supply the second cargo with per unit LNG at $14.22.
The state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will procure 10,000 tonnes of lentil through local tender from M/S Modina Trading Corporation, Dhaka with per kg lentil costing Tk 94.23.
Under another proposal, the TCB will purchase 1.10 crore liters of rice bran oil through local tender Green Oil and Poultry Feed Industries, Dhaka, Majumder Products Ltd, Dhaka and Majumder Bran Oil Mills Ltd, Jessore with per liter oil costing Tk聽162.50.
The Directorate General of Food will procure some 50,000 tonnes of non-Basmati boiled rice from M/S Pattabhi Agro Foods Private Limited, India under international tender with per tonne rice costing $429.55.
Besides, the China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Co Ltd and have been awarded one component each of the Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant Construction Project, Phase-3.
The Chinese company will implement the component at Tk聽976.34 crore and the HICC-SRC JV, Dhaka, at Tk 333.4 crore.
