Dhaka, June 14 (IANS) Bangladesh is open to ‘an amicable settlement’ of its maritime boundary disputes with India and Myanmar though it has sought UN involvement, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has said.
‘We have kept open options for an amicable settlement through bilateral discussions of the maritime boundary disputes with India and Myanmar,’ the minister said Sunday.
The three countries have made overlapping claims because of the funnel-like coastline. The upper reaches of the Bay of Bengal are coveted by all three for exploration of hydrocarbons.
An international tribunal formed under the UN aegis for speedy resolution of disputes over maritime boundaries has called Bangladesh and India to Germany to discuss arbitration procedures,
Dhaka, Moni said, was scheduled to submit a memorandum to the UN body claiming its authority over its territorial waters adjacent to Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal by July 1.
When Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited New Delhi in January, the two countries agreed on the need for an amicable demarcation of the maritime boundary.
