New negotiations round on Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to begin August 3

CAIRO – 3 August 2020: A new negotiations round on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) will resume on Monday encompassing the representatives of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia as well as the observers of the United States and the European Union, and the experts of the African Union Commission (AUC).

The negotiations are a bid to reach a binding agreement on the operation of the dam and filling the reservoir, including in times of drought and severe drought.

Egypt has been underlining the negative impact of Ethiopia's desire to make decisions unilaterally on the dam's operation and filling.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohammed Sebaei said on July 25 that the first filling of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) does not harm Egypt’s share of the Nile Waters.

Sebaei added in press statements that the water reserve of the High Dam’s lake covers the Egyptian needs of water, however, he warned against a possible drought that could be caused if GERD was not filled according to a binding agreement.

Sebaie added that the Egyptian distinguished diplomacy will not respond to the provocations of the Ethiopian propaganda on GERD.

In a phone call with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Abdel Fatah al Sisi reiterated the Egyptian stance on GERD that calls for a legally comprehensive agreement between the involved parts on the operating and filling of the dam and rejects any unilateral action that would harm Egyptian water rights.

The South African President said he hopes that the coordination continues between his country and Egypt on GERD until a fair and balanced agreement is reached.

On July 24, the African Union (AU) called on Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to urgently finalize a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, with the support of African Union experts and observers.

In its statement, the AU said that the latest negotiations meeting – which took place on July 21 - reflected noticeable progress in the negotiations.

This statement; however, came in conjunction with Ethiopian statements rejecting any binding agreement according to Al Arabiya. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry explained that it only seeks to reach a ‘guiding agreement’, not binding regarding the GERD legal and technical aspects.