AMMAN: Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday that he anticipates negotiations with Ethiopia over the Grand Renaissance Dam will continue to falter.
Speaking during a television program on Sada El-Balad channel, Shoukry said that the Nile waters concern every Egyptian, and the government deals with transparency and informs its people on all the negotiations that take place.
Shoukry said that his recent visit to Sudan came to confirm the close link between the two countries and to coordinate to assess the filling status of the dam, the pace of construction, and review all data related to this issue.
He said his country and Sudan will politically and decisively confront any unilateral action by Ethiopia on the dam, adding that the second filling of the dam will affect the course of negotiations and that Addis Ababa’s actions are contrary to international standards.
Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is seen as it undergoes construction work on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia, on Sept. 26, 2019. (REUTERS/File Photo)
Ethiopia began the second phase of filling the reservoir behind its giant Grand Renaissance Dam in early May, a process expected to accelerate in July and August after seasonal rains.
Further construction work on the dam had already allowed for the second phase to start. Ethiopia began filling the reservoir behind the dam, which is still under construction on the Blue Nile close to the border with Sudan, last year.
“We hope that a breakthrough will be reached in the negotiations, but this depends on the Ethiopian political administration, and we affirm that the downstream countries will not compromise or give up their rights, in the event of serious damage occurring when filling and operating the Renaissance Dam,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, Shoukry addressed a letter to the UN Security Council to explain the developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, and affirmed Egypt’s objection to Ethiopia’s announcement of its intention to continue filling the dam during the upcoming flood season.
On Palestine, Shoukry said Cairo is working with Israel to advance the peace process and achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people, which is the establishment of a Palestinian state and the two-state solution.
“Egypt is committed to the need to establish a Palestinian state, and we will continue to work with the new Israeli government and international partners led by the United States to implement the goals of the Palestinian people.”
He also said President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has approved providing $500 million in aid, and they are coordinating with the Palestinian and Israeli sides to set appropriate frameworks that provide for reconstruction and speed up the provision of support to the Palestinian people.
(With Reuters)
