DHAKA: The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of Hague, Netherlands, on Monday announced its verdict on the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India which will be disclosed on Tuesday.

Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed the matter.

The Ambassador of Bangladesh to Netherlands Sheikh Muhammad Belal and Indian Ambassador to Netherlands Rajesh Nandan Prasad received the copies of the verdict on behalf of their countries.

A copy of the verdict has already reached to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which will be disclosed on Tuesday noon.

The maritime boundary between India and Bangladesh is not delineated. Both the countries jointly occupy 180 km of a maritime borderline. 

Hence, there have always been claims and counter-claims and overlapping claims. The issue came to a head after India discovered huge hydrocarbon deposits in the Bay of Bengal.

Earlier, In March 2010, a small island in the Bay of Bengal disappeared under water. Many speculate the cause of disappearance to be several climate change-induced factors. 

The island first emerged in 1971 at the mouth of Hariabhanga River, because the river separated India and Bangladesh, the incidence of the island was strategically valuable, and both Bangladesh and India immediately claimed sovereignty of the island.

The dispute over the small island quickly reignited and escalated a long standing tension between two nations over the maritime delimitation of territorial waters and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Earlier, Bangladesh won a landmark verdict against Myanmar on March 14, 2012 at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea and through the verdict the country sustained its claim to the 200 nautical-miles and exclusive economic and territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal.

However, the date of the verdict was likely to be announced on July 2. The long standing dispute over maritime boundary with India came to an end through this verdict.

BDST: 2110 HRS, JUL 07, 2014