Bangladesh was hopeful of getting justice from a UN body's verdict, scheduled for March 14, concerning the delimitation of maritime boundary with Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said yesterday.
The judgment of UN's International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) will decide if Bangladesh has to limit its access to 130 nautical miles (NM) of the sea area or a 200NM (370 kilometres) economic exploitation zone, and continental shelf extending up to 400-460NM southwards from the country's coastline.
“We are eagerly waiting for the judgment…we believe the court will consider our equitable solution method which we stand for”, the minister said while addressing a presentation programme on maritime boundary issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
A 23-member panel of judges of the ITLOS, a permanent judicial body of the UN, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, will deliver the final judgment.
Rear Admiral (retd) Khurshid Alam, additional secretary to the foreign ministry, who made the presentation, said Bangladesh placed its claim during hearing in the UN court in September 2011.
Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised the programme at its auditorium with BIISS Director General Maj Gen Muhammad Imrul Quayes in the chair.
Bangladesh lodged objections with the UN on October 8, 2009 after India and Myanmar unlawfully cut off a significant portion of Bangladesh's maritime area in the Bay.