ETHIOPIA, EGYPT AND SUDAN AGREED TO CONTINUE GERD DAM DISCUSSION

Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have agreed to continue the trilateral negotiation on the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) in October 2023 in Cairo, Egypt.

Ethiopia hosted the second round of the trilateral negotiation between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on September 23-24, 2023.

This round of talks started with optimism about making progress and narrowing differences on outstanding issues.

With the conviction of accomplishing the task entrusted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi and preserving the positive spirit among the parties, Ethiopia has negotiated in good faith throughout the second round of talks, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The three countries were able to make progress in identifying issues of possible convergence. It was further agreed to continue the trilateral negotiation in October 2023 in Cairo, Egypt.

The Egyptian side has pushed a position that undermines the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of 2015.

It is regrettable that Egypt’s continued insistence on maintaining an exclusionary colonial-era-based treaty, monopolistic utilization, and self-claimed “water quota” has prevented substantive progress in the negotiation, the ministry said.

Ethiopia maintains that the objective of the current trilateral negotiations is to finalize the guidelines and rules on the first filing and annual operation of the GERD that ensure the rights of Ethiopia and accommodate the legitimate concerns of downstream countries.

“It is vital to stress that Ethiopia is keenly engaging in trilateral negotiations to ensure the interests of the present and future generations of Ethiopians over the utilization of the Nile River,” the ministry stated.

Ethiopia will continue its engagement to reach a win-win outcome through the ongoing trilateral process.