CAIRO – 6 April 2021: Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Egypt did not receive any notification or messages from the African Union related to holding new round of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
He added to CBC news channel Tuesday that the Ethipoian final press statement released on Kinshasa talks ‘has nothing to do with the truth’.
Shoukry affirmed that Ethiopia rejected all the proposals by Sudan and Egypt during the negotiations.
In other statements to ON news channel, Shoukry said that Egypt will take ‘whatever it deems appropriate’ in the coming period to protect its water national security.
Shoukry said that Egypt and Sudan next steps after announcing the failing of Kinshasa talks will be coordinating with international organizations and keeping it updated with the latest developments.
He added, that Egypt and Sudan will be coordinating together to take all necessary steps in order to prevent any tension or negative impacts on the region.
Shoukry explained that Egypt monitors the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) situation and its updates closely and will be dealing with it according to the damage that affect the country’s share of water.
The Egyption official explained that damage occurs when Ethiopia take ‘irresponsible’ actions regarding the issue.
Shoukry called on all international parties to interact with the cause and ‘play its part’ saying that GERD is not just about Egypt and Sudan’s interests but its related to maintaining international peace and security.
Spokesperson of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Hafez released a statement indicating that talks held in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, on April 4-5 did not achieve any progress or lead to an agreement on re-launching negotiations on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The statement attributed the reason to Ethiopia's rejection of the proposal put forward by Sudan and supported by Egypt. The proposal suggested the formation of an international quartet led by AU Chair the Democratic Republic of Congo to meditate between the three states. The quartet would include the African Union, the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations.
"Similarly, Ethiopia rejected in the meeting all proposals and alternatives brought forward by Egypt and supported by Sudan to develop the negotiation process in a way that empowers the [three] states and parties taking part in the negotiations as observers to actively get involved in the talks, participate in running the negotiations, and suggesting solutions to technical and legal issues," the statement reads.
Ethiopia also rejected an Egyptian proposal put forward in the conclusion session of the ministerial meeting and supported by Sudan. The proposal aims for the resumption of negotiations chaired by the Congolese president and attended by observers in accordance to the current negotiation mechanism.
Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation said that Ethiopia’s obstinacy on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which became obvious in the latest Kinshasa talks pushes Khartoum to think of all possible options to protect the country’s security in accordance with international laws.
In Tuesday statement, the Ministry added that Ades Ababa continues to negotiate with the same old approach that has been tried since June 2020, but to no avail.
Wed, Apr. 7, 2021
