A Hague-based international court has settled a longstanding maritime boundary dispute between India and Bangladesh, by awarding Bangladesh 19,467square kilometers out of 25,602 square kilometers in the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali disclosed this at a press briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) delivered the verdict after nearly five years of argument and counter argument by the two nations, spot visit by judges and examination of survey reports.
The judgment is final and cannot be appealed against, reports the Daily Star.
The PCA officially conveyed the result to both parties on Monday.
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Bangladesh Ambassador to The Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal received the copy of the verdict yesterday at a ceremony at the PCA.
Indian Ambassador in the Hague Rajesh Nandan Prasad received it on behalf of his government.
Dhaka lodged the case against New Delhi with the PCA on October 8, 2009 after India unfairly cut off a significant portion of Bangladesh's maritime area in the Bay.
The verdict delivered by the German-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on March 14, 2012 sustained Bangladesh's claim to 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone and territorial rights in the Bay of Bengal against Myanmar's claim.
