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DHAKA, Dec 15 (AFP) - Bangladesh has sought Thai backing to enter the Asian Regional Forum (ARF) as part of its efforts to develop regional ties, a minister said Sunday.

"We sought Thailand's help in becoming a member of ARF and we got a positive response," Foreign Minister Morshed Khan told reporters a day after returning from Bangkok.

Khan accompanied Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on her first official visit to Thailand, which ended Saturday.

He said the ARF was a first step in becoming a dialogue partner of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Khan said Dhaka was fully committed to regional cooperation, but was also trying to develop ties with other regions to boost the country's export markets.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

"These expansions in sub-regional areas are a part of our economic diplomacy," he added.

Khan said Bangladesh's geopolitical location allowed it to serve as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Asked if Bangladesh was moving towards ASEAN because the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has been stalled over arguments between rivals India and Pakistan, Khan said: "SAARC is functioning... there is no scope to undermine it."

Last week, Pakistan announced a delay in the 12th SAARC summit due to be held in Islamabad next month and gave no new dates.

India had given mixed signals on whether Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would attend the summit.

SAARC, founded in 1985 in Dhaka, comprises Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

It has been largely ineffectual due to constant feuding between India and Pakistan, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947 and came close to a fourth one this year.

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