Kaladan News

Dated: Friday, July 08, 2005

 

                                                                                                                                                


New Delhi to Effort fastening in Dhaka

 

Chittagong, July, 8: India will continue its efforts to sort out the issues with Bangladesh to ease the laying of gas pipeline from Burma to India through Bangladesh, according to UNB, Dhaka.

 

This was decided at the India-Burma ministerial level meeting in New Delhi on 6th July 2005, when Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar  Aiyar had a wide-ranging discussion with his Burma counterpart Brig Gen Lun Thi on enhancing cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.

 

Bangladesh did not participate in the meeting as the invitation from the Indian side reportedly came only a day ahead of the meeting.

 

But, Bangladesh wants India to first address the issues of trade imbalance, providing corridor for Nepalese goods to Bangladeshi ports and access to hydroelectric potential in Bhutan.

 

Since there has not been any progress in resolving the issues between India and Bangladesh, New Delhi and Rangoon took the initiative to find any possible alternative to lay the gas pipeline directly between the two countries excluding Bangladesh.

 

During the meeting, the two sides discussed evacuation of gas from Burma through Burma-Bangladesh-India pipeline and other alternatives, a release of the   Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India said yesterday.

 

The release also said both sides agreed that the best alternative of gas evacuation from Burma to India be through Burma-Bangladesh-India pipeline. ##

 

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