Ethiopia’s PM says meeting with Sisi Thursday ‘positive’: RT

CAIRO – 24 October 2019: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday met with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Forum held in Sochi, Russia from October 23-24, Russia Today reported, citing its correspondent.

Despite growing tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ahmed said the atmosphere of that meeting with President Sisi was positive, according to RT.

President Sisi has earlier affirmed that Egypt was exerting determined and balanced efforts to overcome the stumble in the GERD negotiations, said presidential spokesperson Bassam Radi on Monday.

Egypt and Ethiopia are at loggerheads over the $4-billion dam; Cairo voiced concern over its water share after Ethiopia started building the dam on the Blue Nile in May 2011.

A series of tripartite talks between the two countries along with Sudan began in 2014. One year later, the three countries signed the Declaration of Principles, per which the downstream countries [Egypt and Sudan] should not be negatively affected by the construction of the dam. However, Cairo and Addis Ababa have recently blamed each other for hindering a final agreement concerning a technical problem.

Sisi voiced his aspiration to reach an agreement that bears the common interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia into account, Radi added.

Egypt on Tuesday expressed its great shock and deep concern in a press statement, in response to the Ahmed’s alleged remarks on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam talks, as he warned that his country could ready millions of people in case a war broke out over the dam.

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Additional reporting by Samar Samir