Egypt talks Ethiopia's Dam with S. Sudan, Burundi, expresses unease

CAIRO - 29 September 2019: Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri on Saturday met separately with the foreign ministers of South Sudan and Burundi, and reviewed with them updates of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiations, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Hafez said.

During his meeting, on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, with South Sudan's Awut Deng Acuil, Shoukri expressed Egypt's unease over the long duration of the GERD negotiations, stressing the importance of conducting the negotiation process in good faith so as to help reach a just and fair agreement that takes into account the interests of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Shoukri expressed Egypt's willingness to strengthen its relations with South Sudan in various fields, stressing Egypt's keenness on the stability of the brotherly South Sudan.

The meeting touched on ways of boosting bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and identifying the needs of the South Sudanese side in the field of capacity building, in light of the role played by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development in this regard.

For her part, Acuil expressed her country's appreciation of the Egyptian role in supporting South Sudan and stability in the region, stressing South Sudan's keenness to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in the coming period, in accordance with the mandates of the political leaderships of the two countries, in an effort to meet the aspirations and hopes of the two brotherly peoples.



Burundi's Foreign Minister Ezechiel Nibigira, in a separate meeting, stressed his country's understanding of Cairo's position concerning the GERD negotiations, and the importance of the Nile River as the sole source of life for the Egyptian people, the spokesman said.

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and African issues of common concern, as well as ways to strengthen the mechanisms of African action in the face of common challenges, especially in light of Egypt's presidency of the African Union this year.

Burundi's foreign minister also expressed his country's appreciation of Egypt's stances supporting Burundi, at the bilateral level and in international forums, referring to the role of Egyptian companies in contributing to Burundi's development.

He stressed his country's keenness to continue coordination and consultation with Egypt on issues of the region and issues of common concern.