Egypt sends a letter to UNSC refusing Ethiopia’s unilaterally filling for GERD

CAIRO – 29 July 2022: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council on Friday to express Egypt’s formal objection to Ethiopia's measures to unilaterally continue filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) without reaching an agreement with Egypt and Sudan.

In his letter of complaint, Shoukry expressed Egypt's total rejection of the Ethiopian approach, which represents a clear violation of the 2015 Declaration of Principles Agreement and the applicable rules of international law that obligate Ethiopia, as the upstream country, not to harm the water rights of downstream countries.

Egypt, through the negotiations that took place over the past years, has sought to reach a fair and equitable agreement on the GERD, but Ethiopia has foiled all the efforts made in this regard to resolve this crisis, the foreign minister said in his letter.

While Egypt sticks to the need to reach an agreement on the Renaissance Dam that achieves the common interests of the three countries, the Egyptian State will not tolerate any prejudice to its rights or water security or any threat to the Egyptian people, for whom the Nile River represents its lifeline, he added.

Meanwhile, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said Egypt had received a letter from Ethiopia on July 26, in which it stated that Addis Ababa would continue filling the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam during the current flood season; a measure that Egypt rejects and constitutes a breach of the obligations imposed by international law.

Egypt renewed its demand for Ethiopia to comply with the rules of international law and principles governing transnational waterways, the spokesman said.

Cairo holds Addis Ababa fully responsible for any significant harm to Egyptian interests that may result from Ethiopia's violation of its obligations, he added.

Egypt asserts its legitimate right guaranteed in the UN Charter to take all necessary measures to protect its national security against any risks posed by Ethiopia's unilateral measures in the future, the spokesman concluded.