Egypt rejects Ethiopian invitation to nominate operators for data exchange on GERD filling without deal

CAIRO – 10 April 2021: Egypt rejects an Ethiopian invitation for Egypt and Sudan to nominate operators for data exchange before the second filling of the grand dam, which Ethiopia intends to implement in July despite the absence of consensus among the three countries.

Rounds of negotiations among the three countries on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have reached a deadlock several times with Egypt blaming the failure on Ethiopia’s intransigence.

Egypt and Sudan insist that a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam should be reached before Ethiopia implements the second phase of dam filling.

Ethiopia, on the other hand, reiterated that it would complete filling the dam in July whether an agreement is reached or not.

Egyptian Water Resources Ministry spokesperson Mohamed Ghanem said the Ethiopian proposal came in a letter by Ethiopia’s water minister Seleshi Bekele, which included “many inaccuracies and claims that do no reflect the path of negotiations over the past years.”

Ghanem said this Ethiopian proposal contradicts with the decisions of the African summits held about the Renaissance Dam, which have affirmed the necessity to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.

Ghanem added that the Ethiopian proposal is merely an attempt to obtain an Egyptian approval of the second phase of dam filling, which Ethiopia plans to implement whether an agreement is reached or not.

Ghanem reiterated Egypt’s rejection of any unilateral measures taken by Ethiopia.

Egypt will not accept any understandings or formulations that secure a political and technical cover for the Ethiopian attempts to impose fait accompli on the two downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan.