Bangladesh hails UN ruling in Myanmar border dispute

HAMBURG, Germany, March 14 | Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:31am EDT ... 
 

(Reuters) - Bangladesh's foreign minister said a U.N. tribunal had ruled in her country's favour on Wednesday in a complex maritime border dispute with Myanmar and that the verdict opened the way for offshore oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal.

"We are happy, we are absolutely delighted," Dipu Moni said after the ruling by the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

"This is a great day for Bangladesh. All our strategic objectives were achieved," she said, adding that Bangladesh could now proceed with its oil and gas exploration in the area.

Myanmar has claimed rights to part of an area Bangladesh has been trying to explore. At the peak of the dispute, both countries sent naval ships to the disputed area, which is about 280 km off the Bangladeshi port of Chittagong.

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