MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2020) Sudan is ready to return to the negotiating table with Egypt and Ethiopia regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) if all sides agree on increased involvement of the African Union (AU), Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt Markos Tekle told Sputnik in an interview.
In late November, Sudan decided not to participate in trilateral ministerial negotiations on the issue, saying it wants to elevate the role of the experts from the African Union to facilitate the negotiation process.
"The Sudanese said they want more role for the African Union moderators in negotiation and we agreed. Egypt of course expressed its objection, therefore if we agreed on greater role for the African Union then Sudan will come back. It is a three party tied, everything must be according to that," Tekle said.
Since 2011, the Ethiopian government 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, is opposed by Egypt and Sudan over the concerns that the dam will affect their water security. The talks between the three countries, which have been trying to reach an agreement on the river's water distribution for over a decade, are being brokered by the African Union.
