Dhaka, Nov 11: Bangladesh has approached the UN over its maritime border dispute with India, amid claims by Dhaka on certain areas in the Bay of Bengal as within its territorial waters, a news report said on Wednesday.
Earlier both India and Myanmar were involved in a diplomatic row with Bangladesh over territorial waters claim.
Bangladesh has problems with India and Myanmar on the issue of “starting point” on how to mark the coastlines from the exclusive economic zone that has apparently overlapped claims of the three neighboring countries due to the funnel-like shape of the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh registered its objection with the UN to India’s claim over certain areas in the Bay of Bengal, three months after a similar missive was filed against Myanmar’s claim, the New Age newspaper reported.
“We have submitted our objection to the maritime commission of the UN on October 29,” MA Momen, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative at the UN, was quoted as saying by the Bangladeshi.
The three neighbors are yet to clearly demarcate their maritime boundaries and are moving the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), a UN body to deal with the law of the seas.
India submitted its claim on maritime boundary to the CLCS in May 2009, one month ahead of its deadline amid dispute with Dhaka over the ownership for the hydrocarbons in the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh has disputes over territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal with both India and Myanmar in two areas that of natural prolongation of the continental shelf and the baseline.
India argues that the course of the natural prolongation of continental shelf is from east to west while Bangladesh claims it is from north to south, said the report in the Bangladeshi newspaper. Bangladesh and India have some overlapping claims on baselines.
According to the United Nations Convention on Law of the Seas, Bangladesh must demarcate its sea boundaries by July 27, 2011, India by June 29, 2009 and Myanmar May 21, 2009, the report said.
Bangladesh earlier lodged its objection with the CLCS, a UN body to deal with the law of the seas, in July this year against Myanmar’s claim on the sea waters.
–Agencies