Sisi shows concerns over GERD, Ethiopian PM reassures

CAIRO – 18 January 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi expressed “concerns” over the lack of progress in the negotiations of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), while Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn assures that “they will not cause any harm to Egypt’s entity and its people.”

Egypt and Ethiopia asserted the depth of the Egyptian-Ethiopian ties by signing a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) at Al-Ittihadia Presidential Palace on Thursday, which aim at boosting the bilateral relations on Thursday.

After signing the memoranda, Sisi and Hailemariam held a joint press conference, in which they presented their views concerning the relations between the two countries, mainly on the Ethiopian establishment of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Sisi voices “concerns” over GERD in a wise and friendly dialogue

At the beginning of the conference, President Sisi gave a speech in which he welcomed Desalegn who is visiting Egypt to discuss bilateral ties, including the developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Sisi stressed that both countries share historical ties, and that they are also joined by the Nile River, which represents “a vein of life joining our nations”.

On GERD, even though President Sisi stated his "extreme concern" over the lack of progress in the negotiations over the construction of Ethiopia's massive dam, Sisi explained that Egypt never had any problems with the developmental goals of the Nile Basin states, as long as they do not harm Egypt’s interests.

Sisi said he appreciated Ethiopia’s repeated assurances that the dam would not have a negative impact on Egypt. However, the required technical studies, set as a condition to determine the dam’s operation mechanism before the filling of the reservoir, according to the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015 between the three states, must be completed and all sides should abide by their findings.

The president also stressed that the GERD should neither harm Egypt's interests nor its share of Nile water in light of the brotherly relations between Egypt and Ethiopia. He said co-operation among the Nile Basin countries must not be a “zero-sum game”.

“Based on our recognition of the importance of the continuity of the technical studies of GERD, Egypt is suggesting the participation of the World Bank at the tripartite discussions on GERD as a neutral [actor],” Sisi said.

On January 8, Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated that Egypt has not received any official response from either Sudan or Ethiopia to its suggestion.

Considered as a move to re-build mutual trust, Shoukry headed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, last December with new suggestions regarding the dam to break the tensions between the three countries.


On November 12, the last meeting of the Tripartite National Committee on the Renaissance Dam (TNCRD), which was hosted in Cairo, ended without reaching an agreement regarding the guidelines suggested by a study on the dam’s potential effects on the Nile Basin states, according to Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel Ati.


A report based on the study presents guidelines by which Ethiopia can fill its reservoir without harming the water flow into Egypt and Sudan. The $4 billion dam is being constructed on the Blue Nile with a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters and is expected to generate up to 6,000 megawatts of power.

Sisi clarified more than once that this summit held between Egypt and Ethiopia assures that both states have political will and determination to overcome any obstacles standing in the way of their relations.

Desalegn’s efforts to reassure Egyptians over GRED

For his part, Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn asserted that his country will not put Egyptians’ life at risk, assuring that the Nile River will continue to flow between the two countries.


President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi welcomes the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday, January 18, 2018 – Photo courtesy of Facebook page of Egyptian Presidency Spokesman

Desalegn stated that the Renaissance Dam, 70 percent of which is completed, “will not affect Egypt negatively and that the dam represents a development factor for both countries,” adding that “We will not cause any harm to Egypt and its people.”

“We will never cause any harm to Egypt, we will do our best to guarantee a decent life to the sons of the Nile River, my country is ready to put end to all the problems between the two countries,” Desalegn said.

On the general relations between the two countries, Desalegn asserted the depth of the relationship between the two countries, saying “since President Sisi took office, we have met ten times, you can imagine the depth of the relations between us.”

Deep relations between two countries

The two sides agreed to increase the economic cooperation between them in light of Egypt’s keenness to increase its investments in the Ethiopian market, such as establishing an Egyptian industrial zone in Ethiopia.


President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi discusses enhancing relations with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Thursday, January 18, 2018 - Photo courtesy of Facebook page of the Spokesman of Egyptian Presidency

Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn met on Thursday at Al-Ittihadia to address the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn arrived in Cairo on Wednesday accompanied by a high-profile delegation to attend the sixth meeting of the joint Egyptian-Ethiopian Higher Committee. The last meeting was held three years ago and tackled bilateral cooperation in several fields, including education, health, agriculture and fisheries.

Desalegn’s three-day visit comes within the framework of the joint Egyptian-Ethiopian Committee, which was postponed several times since last December.

Since May 2011, Cairo has voiced its concern over how the dam can reduce the country’s annual share of more than 56 billion cubic meters of Nile water. Egypt’s average water per-capita is expected to drop from 663 cubic meters per year to 582 cubic meters by 2025, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). However, Addis Ababa claimed that the dam is necessary for Ethiopia’s development and will not harm downstream countries.