Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed regional issues, including the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry discussed regional issues, including the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
"Concerning the issue of the construction of the Renaissance HPP on the Blue Nile River, Lavrov emphasized the need to continue the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan in order to resolve the remaining differences while respecting the interests of all parties involved, on the basis of the norms and principles of international law," the ministry said in a statement after the phone conversation between the two diplomats.
The ministers also noted that Russia and Egypt have similar approaches to a resolution in Libya, as established at the Second Berlin Conference.
Lavrov and Shoukry further discussed the prospects of the Russian-Egyptian relations in light of the regular meeting of the Joint Russian-Egyptian Commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, held in Moscow on June 24.
The Renaissance Dam has been under construction on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia since 2011 and is expected to become the largest dam in Africa when completed, covering the energy needs of nearly two-thirds of the Ethiopian population. The project has raised concerns about water security from Egypt and Sudan, and negotiations between the three countries have reached a deadlock.
