Ethiopia Hosts A new Round of Negotiations on The Gerd Dam

Today's meeting follows talks held on 27 and 28 August in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, which ended in stalemate.

23 September، 2023

A new round of negotiations began today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Great Ethiopian Rebirth Dam (Gerd), the infrastructure upstream of the Blue Nile, with the participation of ministerial delegations from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan.

This was announced in a press release from the Egyptian government. Today’s meeting follows talks held on 27 and 28 August in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, which ended in nothing.

“Egypt approaches these negotiations with the same seriousness and good will as always,” said today the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sweilem, according to whom “the objective is to reach a balanced and mutually advantageous that takes into account national interests and guarantees water security, as well as safeguarding the rights of the Egyptian people and promoting the interests of Ethiopia and Sudan.” This agreement should also pave the way for development and prosperity for the people of these three nations, the statement said.

The Minister of Water Resources stressed that “Ethiopia’s unilateral resumption of filling the GERD” represents a violation of the Declaration of Principles signed in 2015, “a violation of international law” and “a threat to the success” of the negotiations.

Signed in 2015, the declaration establishes the need for Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to reach an agreement on the rules for filling and operating the GERD before starting the filling process.

The Egyptian president, Abdel Fattah al Sisi, and the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, had agreed, on the sidelines of the summit of the countries bordering Sudan held in Cairo on 13 July, to restart negotiations to reach an agreement on the GERD by four months.

Sweilem also highlighted the need to “mobilize efforts to reach an agreement within the expected timescales”, stating that “there are several technical and legal solutions to facilitate the conclusion of a legally binding agreement on the rules of filling and operation of the GERD” which “ satisfies the interests of all three nations.”