CAIRO – 7 July 2020: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed affirmed that his country will not harm Egypt by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), noting that Ethiopia will start filling the reservoir to take advantage of the heavy rain season.
The prime minister's statements came despite thenegotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan that are still underwayto reach a final agreement that ensures the rights of the three countries are preserved.
"Our dispute with Egypt over the period of operation and filling the GERD will be resolved through the African Union," he said. "We will not deprive Egypt of water, and we will reach an agreement soon."
Since 2014, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have entered into negotiations on the building of the dam to avoid any possible threats on the downstream countries [Egypt and Sudan]. The latest round of talks, which convened early June, reached a stalemate, ahead of the Ethiopian unilateral act of deciding to fill the dam’s reservoir mid-July without reaching a final agreement with the two countries.
Tue, Jul. 7, 2020
