Dhaka – Bangladesh and Burma will continue with high-level parleys in the wake of the face-off over gas exploration by the latter in the Bay of Bengal. The decision follows a meeting between Foreign Advisor of Bangladesh Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and his Burmese counterpart Nyan Win in New Delhi.

"We agreed to continue with high-level contacts, including a meeting between the Myanmar [Burmese] Prime Minister and the Chief Advisor, when they both arrive in New Delhi," the foreign advisor told the media after the meeting with the Burmese foreign minister on the sidelines of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers Conference.

The bilateral meeting covered a wide range of issues that include the recent incidents in Bay of Bengal as well as potentialities of cooperation in political and economic fields, according to a message received in the capital, Dhaka on Wednesday. The meeting was described as "cordial".

Dr. Chowdhury said, "It was a meeting that was both frank and cordial. We both wanted differences resolved peacefully through negotiations conducted in a spirit of mutual understanding. We also saw the value in continuing cooperation in the political and economic spheres as two close neighbours."

"We need to follow up on the ground after the very useful discussions during Vice Senior General Maung Aye's recent visit to Bangladesh," he added.

The BIMSTEC, a regional group made up of Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), Nepal and Bhutan, is now considered a promising regional group that aims at acting as a bridge between the eastern and the western parts of Asia.

According to trade experts, the BIMSTEC will have a greater potential to increase trade volume among member countries by taking advantage of their geographical location in the region of Bay of Bengal and the eastern coast of the Indian Ocean.