Egypt’s FM: AL emergency meeting discusses GERD file

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Mon, 22 Jun 2020 - 09:31 GMT

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Mon, 22 Jun 2020 - 09:31 GMT

Workers and machinery are seen at Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam as it undergoes construction on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. Picture taken September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Workers and machinery are seen at Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam as it undergoes construction on the river Nile in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia September 26, 2019. Picture taken September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

CAIRO - 22 June 2020: ُThe League of Arab States Council ministerial meeting due to be held on Tuesday, at the request of Egypt, would tackle the file of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the turmoil of Libya, said Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday.

In media remarks to the 9:00 PM talk show on the state-owned T.V., Shoukry said that Ethiopia’s statements regarding the dam are ‘provocative’ and contrary to what Addis Ababa pledged in the 2015 Declaration of Principles that was signed by the three parties.

In 2015, the three countries signed the Declaration of Principles, per which the downstream countries [Egypt and Sudan] should not be negatively affected by the construction of the dam. Since then, the talks have been resumed, but In October 2019 blamed Addis Ababa for hindering a final agreement concerning a technical problem, calling for activating the Article No. 10 of the Declaration of Principles, which stipulates that if the three countries could not find a solution to these differences, they have to ask for mediation.

The difference between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia dates back to May 2011 when Ethiopia started building the dam; Egypt voiced concern over its water share [55.5 billion cubic meters]. Three years later, a series of tripartite talks between the two countries along with Sudan began to reach an agreement while Ethiopia continued the dam construction.

In a Monday statement, Shoukry said that Egypt has engaged in negotiations with Ethiopia for nearly a decade, which dismisses any possibility that the country is avoiding talks. He added, “Egypt is always ready to engage in any negotiations to reach a fair agreement that serves all three countries' interests."

Shoukry negated that Egypt is escaping negotiations of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam by referring the issue to the United Nations Security Council.

Shoukry further challenged Ethiopia to immediately resume negotiations and declare compliance with the international obligations that stipulate not to fill the dam unilaterally.

On June 19, Egypt called the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to intervene in the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, asserting the importance of continuing the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in order to reach a fair and just solution for all three countries.

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