CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reaffirmed the need for a legal and binding agreement on filling and operating Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam.
During a meeting in Budapest with his Hungarian counterpart Janos Ader, El-Sisi stressed that Egypt only wants to preserve its share of the Nile waters.
“We do not want water to be a cause of conflict. Rather, we want it to be a cause for benefit, cooperation, development and construction,” he said.
“The Nile River is the main source of water in Egypt, which is one of the countries that suffer from severe water scarcity.”
Egypt implements water-treatment and seawater-desalination programs at a cost of about $80 billion, said El-Sisi.
“Our brothers in Ethiopia say they will not try to influence the arrival of water to Egypt, and this is wonderful talk, but it is necessary to reach a legal and binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam,” he added.
El-Sisi, who has been on an official visit to Hungary since Monday, expressed his admiration for the country’s technological and scientific progress in the field of water use, and its development of drought-tolerant agricultural strains.
Meanwhile, he said Egypt has largely succeeded in confronting and containing terrorism by adopting a comprehensive and integrated path that includes security, social, developmental and cultural dimensions.
He added that Islamist extremism stems from a misunderstanding of the religion and its tolerant values, which are based on diversity, acceptance of others, and striving for the good of all.
El-Sisi said effectively tackling illegal immigration requires addressing its root causes — primarily regional conflicts — and a “firm and clear response” is required against attempts by some states to exploit such conflicts and interfere in the affairs of other countries.
He added that Egypt seeks more cooperation with the Visegrad Group, a political and cultural alliance between the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
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