Egypt’s FM affirms necessity to reach GERD deal in meeting with UN HoA envoy

CAIRO – 16 February 2023: Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Egypt’s stance on the necessity to reach a binding deal on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In a meeting on Thursday with UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Hanna Tetteh in Addis Ababa, Shoukry affirmed the need to ensure that the deal on GERD takes into consideration the interests of the three countries and preserves Egypt’s water rights.

Shoukry’s meeting with Tetteh came on the sidelines of the 42nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) held in the Ethiopian capital from 15-16 February.

During the meeting, the top Egyptian diplomat also affirmed supporting the achievement of consensus among political forces in Sudan.

This should come in a way that ensures the success of the transitional period and achieves the aspirations of the brotherly Sudanese people in restoring stability and overcoming the challenges of the current phase, Shoukry added.

The meeting also addressed a number of issues related to the state of peace and security in the Horn of Africa, especially the situation in Somalia.

In this regard, Shoukry stressed the momentum witnessed by the Egyptian-Somali relations, shedding light on the latest visit of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to Cairo in July.

The two sides also agreed during the meeting on the necessity of cooperation among international partners to support the stability efforts through the activation of the role of the new AU mission in Somalia, known as the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS)

For her part, Tetteh expressed appreciation of the Egyptian efforts to support stability in the Horn of Africa, praising also the Egyptian efforts in enhancing peace and security in each of Sudan and Somalia.

She also expressed keenness to maintain continuous consultations and coordination with Egypt in this regard during the coming period.

Shoukry headed to Addis Ababa on Tuesday to attend the 42nd Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council held on the level of the foreign ministers.

This comes ahead of the 36th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly at the level of heads of state and government that will be held on 18-19 February under the theme “The Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.”