New round of Ethiopian dam talks kicks off in Addis Ababa

CAIRO – 23 September 2023: A new round of negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) kicked off today in Addis Ababa.

The new round, which sees the participation of negotiation teams of the three countries, is an extension of the GERD talks that took place in Cairo on 27-28 August.

The resumption of GERD talks comes after Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed in July on starting talks to finalize an agreement between the three countries on the dam within four months, according to a joint statement.

In remarks on Saturday, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sewilam said Egypt continues to dealing with negotiations with the same seriousness and goodwill to reach a mutually beneficial and balanced agreement.

Egypt looks forward to the agreement taking into account its national interests, ensuring its water security, safeguarding the rights of the Egyptian people and also advancing the interests of Ethiopia and Sudan, Sewilam said.

This agreement should pave the way for development and prosperity for the peoples of these three nations, he added.

 

In this regard, Sewilam stressed that Ethiopia's unilateral resumption of the GERD filling without an agreement that governs the rules of filling and operation violates the 2015 Declaration of Principles.

This kind of unilateral action, which represents a violation of international law, has cast a negative shadow over the ongoing negotiation process and poses a threat to its success, the minister stressed.

Egypt and Sudan have urged Ethiopia repeatedly to sign a legally-binding agreement on GERD, which would protect their water rights and people’s interests.

The two downstream countries have warned against unilateral practices with regard to GERD. However, Ethiopia has continued to fill and operate the dam despite objections of Egypt and Sudan.

After the Cairo talks last month, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry said Ethiopia has showed no change in its stances regarding the dam.