Ethiopia ready to reach deal with Egypt, Sudan on Renaissance dam

CAIRO – 7 October 2019: Ethiopian government voiced its readiness to reach a deal with Nile downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan on the rules of filling and operating the controversial Ethiopian on the Blue Nile.

In a series of tweets, Ethiopian Prime minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country stands ready to solve any differences with the two other countries.

“Ethiopia stands ready to resolve any differences and outstanding concerns by consultation among the three countries,” he tweeted.

The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia commends the Water Affairs Ministers of Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt for convening in Khartoum to continue with the trilateral dialogue on the filling and operation of Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. 1/4

— Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) October 5, 2019

“The Government of Ethiopia will reinforce its effort to make the ongoing trilateral dialogue a success. It also expects a similar commitment from the two downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan,” he added.

Ahmed’s remarks after Egypt announced that the tripartite negotiations on the dam among the water ministers of the three states reached a deadlock, calling for an international mediator in the talks.

Egypt’s request came in consistency with Article No. 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles that was signed by the three countries, said Spokesperson of Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Al-Sebai in a statement on Saturday evening.

Sebai said that the negotiations of the Renaissance Dam have reached a dead end due to the hardening of the Ethiopian side and its rejection of all theses that take into account Egypt's water interests and avoid causing serious harm to Egypt.

The spokesman added that this Ethiopian position has brought the negotiations to a standstill, especially after Addis Ababa rejected the Egyptian proposal that presented an integrated proposal for the rules of filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, which is fair and balanced and takes into account the interests of the three countries.

Egypt and Ethiopia are at loggerheads over the controversial the $4-billion dam as Cairo voiced its concern over its share after Ethiopia started building the dam on the Blue Nile in May 2011.

A series of tripartite talks between the two countries along with Sudan has begun in 2014. One year later, the three countries reached an agreement, per which the downstream countries [Egypt and Sudan] should not be negatively affected by the construction of the dam. However, Cairo and Addis Ababa recently blamed each other for hindering a final agreement concerning a technical problem.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday affirmed Egypt’s water rights in the River Nile as Renaissance Dam negotiations reached a dead end as a result of the Ethiopian side's rejection to all proposals that take into account Egypt's water rights and interests.

“I have followed closely on the results of the tripartite meeting between irrigation ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to discuss the file of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which has not resulted in any positive development,” President Sisi said on his official Facebook page.

Egypt welcomed the statement issued by the White House regarding the ongoing negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady said on Saturday October 5th.

The US called on Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to reach an agreement that realize the mutual interests of all of the countries involved in the situation, according to a statement issued by the State Information Service.

The US asserted the importance of an agreement that highlights the economic development and prosperity of all the parts depending on the Nile.

The SIS called on the US to play a bigger role in this regard as the dam’s filling negotiations have reached a deadlock in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Saturday.