Egypt announces new negotiations with Ethiopia on Renaissance Dam

CAIRO - 23 October 2023: Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has announced the commencement of a new round of ministerial-level negotiations concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The talks involve delegations from Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia and are being held in Cairo.

These negotiations follow two previous rounds that took place in Cairo and Addis Ababa over the past two months. The discussions are rooted in the agreement of the three nations to expedite the finalization of the deal regarding the rules for filling and operating the GERD, following a meeting between the leaderships of Egypt and Ethiopia on July 13th of this year.

Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation previously stated that the ministerial tripartite meeting on the GERD held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on September 23rd and 24th did not yield significant progress.

The ministry reported that Ethiopia had backtracked on several agreements previously reached by the three countries during the negotiation process.

It's important to note that these negotiations are a continuation of talks that began in Cairo on August 27th and 28th, with the mutual agreement of the three nations to expedite the finalization of the GERD filling and operation rules within a four-month timeframe, following the leadership meeting between Egypt and Ethiopia on July 13th.