Tunisian president reiterates support to Egyptian water security in phone call with Sisi

CAIRO – 8 July 2021: President Kais Saied affirmed on Thursday Tunisia’s full support to everything that would preserve the Egyptian water security as an integral part of the Arab national security, as he spoke with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi via phone.

The two presidents discussed the developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as the United Nations Security Council is meeting on Thursday night to discuss the issue, the Presidency said.

The phone call comes in light of Tunisia’s current membership in the council.

Saied voiced his country’s support to the Egyptian-Sudanese movements in the UNSC with the aim of enhancing the negotiations path and reaching a fair, comprehensive solution on the rules of filling and operation of the dam.

President Sisi highlighted Egypt’s unwavering stance seeking a legally-binding agreement that achieves the interests of all parties and protects the historic water rights of the two downstream countries, the Presidency said.

The Egyptian president expressed appreciation for Tunisia for its current endeavor, as a current member of the UNSC, to contribute to breaking the current stalemate and supporting the Egyptian stance with the aim of reaching a binding agreement on the rules of fulling and operation of the dam.

The Presidency said the phone call also discussed issues of bilateral relations as well as developments of the coronavirus pandemic in Tunisia.

Sisi affirmed Egypt’s full support to Tunisia and expressed his aspiration to develop and deepen cooperation relations and coordination between the two countries in various fields.

Egypt and Sudan are already in an escalating dispute with Ethiopia, which earlier last week informed the two countries that it started the second filling of the massive dam.

Ethiopia’s step brushes aside Egypt and Sudan’s objections and concerns about their water rights in the event of implementing the second filling before a binding agreement is reached among the three countries.

The agreement should regulate the filling and operation processes of the dam in a way that ensures the two countries’ water rights and prevents Ethiopia from unilaterally controlling the water flow to the downstream countries.

The Security Council is holding a session on GERD on Thursday upon Tunisia’s request with the following resolution terms:

The terms of the resolution proposed by Tunisia include:

1 – Demand that Ethiopia cease the second filling of the GERD

2 – Demand that Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia resume negotiations.

3 – Reach a binding agreement on GERD in six months.

4 – Demand that the three countries stop any measure that delays negotiations.

5 – Demand that Ethiopia stop unilateral decisions.