Dhaka, Oct. 19 -- Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has pinned hopes on a decision within October to delay Bangladesh's graduation from least developed country (LDC) status by three years.

At a seminar on Monday, Muktadir said Bangladesh had cleared the Committee for Development Policy (CDP) stage and had sought the extension from the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

".I am very hopeful that we will see this settled next week or the week after."

He claimed the European Union (EU) and other parties have "agreed" to Bangladesh getting more time, and that a decision will come before the Nov 24 deadline.

The Economic Reporters Forum and the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute jointly organised the seminar on the challenges...