The ITLOS had delivered its judgment over the dispute regarding delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Burma in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday in favor of Bangladesh, at its main courtroom in Hamburg, Germany at 5:00pm.
“We’ve got more than what we wanted,” according to Foreign Minister DipuMoni, who is the representative or agent of Bangladesh for the case.
“It is not only a victory, but a tremendous victor,” she said.
Bangladesh wanted 107,000 square kilometres in the Bay of Bengal but got 111,000 square kilometres.The International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in its verdict on March 14 recognised Bangladesh’s claims to a full 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal, and to a substantial share of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) beyond 200 miles.
The Tribunal also awarded Bangladesh a full 12-mile territorial sea around St. Martin’s Island, overruling Burma’s argument that it should be cut in half.
The verdict, which the judges passed voting 21 to 1, concludes the case initiated by Bangladesh against Myanmar on October 8, 2009, to resolve a longstanding dispute over the maritime boundary.
The text of the judgment was available shortly after its delivery on the tribunal's website. The verdict was broadcast live on the ITLOS website and a webcast of the judgment will be available in the archives as well.
The ITLOS is an independent judicial body, established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Its verdict is crucial not only for determining the country's sea boundary, but also for ensuring legitimate right over sea resources, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.
The judgment of the tribunal is final and mandatory as there is no opportunity for any party to appeal.
The verdict put an end to a protracted legal battle of more than two years.