CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has reiterated his rejection of any procedures that violate the rights to water from the River Nile, according to his spokesperson, Bassam Rady.
During a meeting with the chair of the African Union (AU) Commission, Moussa Faki, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s aim to reach a comprehensive legal agreement between all concerned parties on the rules for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
This desire was reiterated by Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, who also met with Faki.
BACKGROUND
During a meeting with the chair of the African Union Commission, El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt’s aim to reach a comprehensive legal agreement between all concerned parties on the rules for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Shoukry reviewed Egypt’s position regarding the GERD, stressing Cairo’s permanent readiness to engage in negotiations to reach a legally binding agreement on the procedures for filling and operating the dam, in a way that achieves the interests of the three countries in question — Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan — and which secures Egypt’s rights and water interests.
Faki expressed his appreciation of Egypt’s efforts to reach a solution over the GERD, stressing the importance of continued cooperation to reach a fair and balanced agreement.
Ahmed Hafez, a spokesman for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry, said Shoukry and Faki also exchanged views on a number of additional issues and files, including on the conflicts in other African countries, and highlighted the need to provide political and financial support to provide “African solutions to African problems” to further the “Silencing the Guns on Continent” agenda.
