Egypt and Ethiopia should be able to reach an agreement and make compromises over the ongoing Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) executive secretary, told Sputnik in an interview
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) Egypt and Ethiopia should be able to reach an agreement and make compromises over the ongoing Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's (IGAD) executive secretary, told Sputnik in an interview.
The Ethiopian government, since 2011, has pushed ahead with the construction of the GERD on the Blue Nile River. The project, which is set to become Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant, has been opposed by Egypt and Sudan, who fear that the dam will impact their water security.
"This should not be a point of conflict. We fully understand the interest of the people of Ethiopia, as well as of the people of Egypt. No one can harm the other. Here, the only solution is a win-win solution. Ethiopia and Egypt can negotiate very well and reach an agreement compromising some of their interests to one another for the sake of peace and cooperation," Gebeyehu, who served as Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2019, remarked.
Ministers from Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt have been locked in trilateral talks to find a solution to the ongoing dispute, especially as Addis Ababa completed the first stage of filing the dam in July.
In early September, a US State Department official told the Associated Press agency that Washington will temporarily suspend a portion of its financial aid to Ethiopia over the lack of progress to resolve the dispute.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a June letter to the UN Security Council that the dam risks endangering the lives of millions of people, should it be filled before a final agreement is reached between the three parties.
