Myanmar, Bangladesh to settle dispute

Dhaka: Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to settle the long-standing maritime dispute following both the principles of "equidistance and equity of resources", officials said Sunday.

Talks between the two sides concluded in the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

"Both sides decided to demarcate the maritime boundary...as guiding principles," Foreign Secretary retired rear admiral Mohammad Khurshed Alam told Gulf News after two days of talks.

Alam, who led Bangladesh in the talks, earlier told reporters briefly that the meeting was "fruitful". He added that the most positive outcome of the meeting was that for the first time Myanmar shifted from its "rigid" position on "equidistance".

He said both sides decided to hold another round of meetings by April in Myanmar to explore ways to implement the formula.

‘Very happy'

"We are very happy with the fruitful discussion. It was a very good discussion [and] it will continue," Myanmar's envoy in Dhaka Phae Thann Oo, who was also present at the meeting, told reporters.

Maung Myint, the deputy foreign minister of Myanmar, led his country's delegation to the meeting.

In October Bangladesh decided to seek a resolution to its maritime disputes with Myanmar as well as India in a United Nations tribunal. It opted for arbitration saying the negotiations with the neighbours were unlikely to settle the issue in the near future. Officials said under a UN charter the principle of "equity" takes into account several issues.