Egypt’s FM affirms Ethiopia had no right to participate in Red Sea governance mechanism

CAIRO – October 31, 2025: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty affirmed that the governance of the Red Sea is a matter that exclusively concerns the countries bordering it, emphasizing that Ethiopia has no right to interfere or participate in its governance mechanisms as it is a landlocked nation.

In an interview with Al Arabiya Net on Thursday, Abdelatty noted that Egypt is holding discussions with Saudi Arabia regarding the future framework for Red Sea governance.

He added that Egypt and Saudi Arabia are key states with a fundamental responsibility for managing the Red Sea, stressing that as “two major littoral countries, they bear primary responsibility for administering this vital maritime corridor and ensuring its security and stability.”

The countries bordering the Red Sea are eight, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Jordan, and occupied Palestine.

Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been at odds for nearly 15 years over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The dispute dates back to May 2011, when Ethiopia began constructing the dam. Egypt has consistently voiced concern that the project could impact its annual share of Nile waters—estimated at 55.5 billion cubic meters.

Three years later, tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia began in an effort to reach an agreement, even as construction on the dam continued.

In 2015, the three nations signed the Declaration of Principles, which stipulated that downstream countries—Egypt and Sudan—should not be adversely affected by the dam’s construction.

However, in October 2019, Egypt accused Ethiopia of obstructing a final agreement on key technical issues and called for the activation of Article 10 of the Declaration of Principles, which mandates mediation if the parties fail to reach consensus. Despite Egypt’s repeated objections, Ethiopia continued its unilateral actions, filling the dam’s reservoir annually without consulting Egypt or Sudan.

On September 9, 2025, Egypt—represented by Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty—sent an official letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council in response to Ethiopia’s recent celebration marking the completion and operation of the GERD. Cairo underscored that the move constitutes a clear violation of international law and established norms.

Abdelatty stressed that Ethiopia’s attempts to bestow false legitimacy upon the dam cannot alter the fact that it remains a unilateral action in breach of international law. He affirmed that such actions have no legal effect on the governing framework of the Eastern Nile Basin under international law.