UAE calls on Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia to resume talks on GERD ‘in good faith’

CAIRO – 4 August 2022:  The Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations urged Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to continue negotiating on the issue of the Renaissance Dam in "good faith" under the brokerage of the African Union (AU).

“The United Arab of Emirates (UAE) believes that a successful conclusion of negotiations on the GERD is within reach, and recognizes the great opportunity it presents to enhance and accelerate regional integration, while bolstering cooperation and sustainable development in the region and beyond, in the spirit of African solution to African challenges,” the mission said in a statement on August 2, 2022.

On July 29, 2022, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council 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 exerted 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 violation of its rights or water security, or poses any threat on the Egyptian people, for whom the Nile River represents a 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 risks posed by Ethiopia's unilateral measures in the future, the spokesman concluded.

On July 25, 2022, U.S. Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa Ambassador Mike Hammer met with senior Egyptian government officials to advance a diplomatic resolution on the GERD that supports the water needs, economy, and livelihood of all Egyptians, Sudanese, and Ethiopians.  

“I came to Cairo on my first official trip to the region to hear from our Egyptian partners on the critical issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to better understand Egypt’s water needs,” Special Envoy Hammer said.

 “We are actively engaged in supporting a diplomatic way forward ,under the African Union’s auspices, that arrives at an agreement that provides for the long-term needs of every citizen along the Nile,” Hammer concluded.

During their recent meeting, President Biden reiterated to President Sisi that the United States’ support of Egypt’s water security and of a diplomatic resolution that would achieve the interests of all parties and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous region.  Special Envoy Hammer’s visit to Cairo, which took place just days after Biden and Sisi met, focused on this priority. 

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Special Envoy Hammer met with an interagency team responsible for GERD negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan.  At Parliament, Special Envoy Hammer met with MP Karim Darwish, chair of the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee.