Dhaka, July 15 (bdnews24.com)—Foreign minister Dipu Moni has termed India's claimed baseline for delineating its sea border with Bangladesh "very aggressive" and urged New Delhi to change it immediately for reaching an agreement on maritime boundary demarcation between the two nations.
Dipu Moni, in a meeting with Indian state minister for external relations Shashi Tharoor in Egypt on Tuesday, also asked that India not go ahead with its planned Tipaimukh dam project without carrying out comprehensive impact studies that include Bangladesh.
The two ministers were attending the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm-el-Sheikh.
"Foreign minister Dipu Moni said the recent baseline declared by India was very aggressive and sought immediate rectification," said a foreign ministry press statement on Wednesday regarding the sideline meeting with Tharoor.
"She also mentioned that maritime boundary should be demarcated according to the internationally accepted principle of equity and hoped that India would be ready to negotiate to resolve the issue as both the countries were in need of resources at sea," said the statement.
Tharoor assured Dipu Moni of conveying her concerns to the proper authorities in India, the statement said.
Bangladesh and India have overlapping claims on the waters in the Bay of Bengal.
India submitted a map of its sea boundary to the United Nations in May.
At sea border talks with Dhaka, in Delhi in March this year, India claimed a baseline for its sea boundary in such a way that it would make Bangladesh into a sea locked nation.
Bangladesh objected, but India submitted its map to the UN making no effective change in its claims, say Bangladesh foreign ministry officials.
Dipu Moni also raised the issue of Tipaimukh Dam, in her sideline meeting with Tharoor, saying India should not proceed further without a comprehensive study involving the Bangladesh side also.
Tharoor assured her that India greatly valued relations with Bangladesh and nothing would be done which impaired this relation and went against the interest of Bangladesh.
Dipu Moni also referred to the huge trade imbalance between the two countries and urged removal of different trade barriers for augmentation of exports from Bangladesh.
She also referred to difficulties faced by Bangladeshis, especially businessmen, in getting Indian visas.
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