Dhaka keen to negotiate stalled tri-nation gas pipeline
Bangladesh is willing to restart the stalled negotiation on a tri-nation pipeline to transmit gas from Myanmar to India passing through the country's territory.
By PTI |
DHAKA: Bangladesh is willing to restart the stalled negotiation on a tri-nation pipeline to transmit gas from Myanmar to India passing through the country's territory. "We are ready to negotiate for allowing the pipeline if Myanmar sells gas and India agrees to buy. We'll obtain best possible advantage through negotiations-we'll get revenue," interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has said.
The tri-nation pipeline issue came up during his meetings with Myanmar leaders, including acting Prime Minister Lieutenant General Thein Sein, in the Myanmar capital, the Daily Star newspaper quoted Choudhury, who returned on Monday from Myanmar, as saying.
The negotiations were stalled after several rounds of tripartite meetings during the past Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government as Dhaka put some conditions seeking its passage to export its products to Nepal and Bhutan through India, reduction of Dhaka's trade deficit with New Delhi and allowing the import of electricity from Nepal and Bhutan crossing over the Indian territory.
Despite a policy decision not to link bilateral trade issues with the pipeline negotiation at the fag end of the BNP regime, there had not been any fruitful talks between India
And Bangladesh on the matter prompting Myanmar to sign an agreement with China to sell its gas.
According to the previous estimate, Bangladesh was to receive $100 million to $120 million as transmission charge or "wheeling charge" annually for the 950-km pipeline. The tri-nation gas pipeline issue again came up as a reference at the Delhi meeting on regional cooperation in energy sector recently while India also planned energy import from central Asia, passing through a long pipeline that proves expensive.
The tri-nation pipeline issue came up during his meetings with Myanmar leaders, including acting Prime Minister Lieutenant General Thein Sein, in the Myanmar capital, the Daily Star newspaper quoted Choudhury, who returned on Monday from Myanmar, as saying.
The negotiations were stalled after several rounds of tripartite meetings during the past Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government as Dhaka put some conditions seeking its passage to export its products to Nepal and Bhutan through India, reduction of Dhaka's trade deficit with New Delhi and allowing the import of electricity from Nepal and Bhutan crossing over the Indian territory.
Despite a policy decision not to link bilateral trade issues with the pipeline negotiation at the fag end of the BNP regime, there had not been any fruitful talks between India
And Bangladesh on the matter prompting Myanmar to sign an agreement with China to sell its gas.
According to the previous estimate, Bangladesh was to receive $100 million to $120 million as transmission charge or "wheeling charge" annually for the 950-km pipeline. The tri-nation gas pipeline issue again came up as a reference at the Delhi meeting on regional cooperation in energy sector recently while India also planned energy import from central Asia, passing through a long pipeline that proves expensive.
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