GERD
The Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) reported that the Prime Minister, during a questioning before the parliament, announced the inauguration of the dam will be by September.
Cairo hosted Monday the consultation meeting among the Egyptian and Sudanese ministers of irrigation and foreign affairs as well as technical experts.
The minister began a visit to Washington on Sunday.
As they made their first phone call since Rubio started his tenure as the top US diplomat under President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the ministers discussed various regional challenges, including the ceasefire in Gaza and Egypt’s water security.
During his visit to Brussels, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration Badr Abdelatty met Monday EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly held a press conference Wednesday, where he addressed different concerns, especially Egypt’s stance regarding the Ethiopia’s announcement of completing the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD).
He briefed lawmakers on the constants of Egypt's position regarding issues with a direct impact on its national as well as continental security and the national security, especially the developments in Sudan and the Horn of Africa, and Ethiopia's hydropower Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile
He made these remarks during the opening speech at the 7th Cairo Water Week on Sunday, which is held this year under the theme: “Water and Climate: Building Resilient Communities.”
Madbouly emphasized that the negative repercussions due to the dam threatens to increase social and economic tensions, potentially leading to displacement and migration, and exacerbating illegal immigration across Egyptian borders
Berger added that the EU worked for a period as a mediator between these parties, but Ethiopia did not show cooperation in this mediation, which led to its suspension.
Blinken reaffirmed the United States' commitment to supporting Egyptian water security.
During a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty stressed the urgent need for the international community to fulfill its responsibilities in securing an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza
"It is a mistake to think that Egypt will turn a blind eye or tolerate a threat to its existence," FM Abdelatty said, stressing that Ethiopia disregards the lives of the Egyptian and Sudanese people with GERD.
Abdelatty underscored the critical importance of water as "an existential issue for Egypt," being the sole nation entirely dependent on the transboundary Nile River as its primary water source.
The water was supposed to arrive to Egypt by the end of July but it arrived by the end of August.
In the letter, Abdelatty affirmed Egypt’s categorical rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies, saying they violate principles of international law
In the speech he gave in the press conference that was held following meeting with the new Cabinet members, Madbouli said that these initiatives aim to optimize the utilization of water resources while bolstering their economic development.
Geologist Abbas Sharaqy posted Wednesday a satellite photo of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Ambassador Ahmed Abu Zeid, the official spokesman and director of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, stated that the meeting focused on enhancing cooperation between the two ministries, particularly concerning water, climate change, relations with Nile River Basin countries, and addressing related challenges.
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam stated that Egypt does not intend to engage in further negotiations regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in its current proposed form, deeming them as a “waste of time.”
