Egypt and Ethiopia announced overcoming the tensions that arose after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's statement regarding his intent to defend the country's right to continue building a dam on the Nile amid Cairo's concerns about the project's implications for the river's flow, a spokesperson for the Egyptian presidential administration said on Thursday
CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2019) Egypt and Ethiopia announced overcoming the tensions that arose after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's statement regarding his intent to defend the country's right to continue building a dam on the Nile amid Cairo's concerns about the project's implications for the river's flow, a spokesperson for the Egyptian presidential administration said on Thursday.On Tuesday, media quoted Ahmed as saying during a parliamentary question-and-answer session that his country was ready to go to war, if needed, to defend its right to build the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Afterward, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the statements. Earlier in the day, during the Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Ahmed met and agreed to resume negotiations on the dam.
"Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed that his statements in parliament on the dam were taken out of context, and that he respected the leadership and people of Egypt. The negative consequences arising from the publication of the statements attributed to the Ethiopian side in the media have been overcome," Sisi's spokesperson said, commenting on thethe meeting's outcome.
During the talks, Ahmed emphasized that neither the people nor the government of Ethiopia were going to harm Egypt's interests, and that he remained committed to dialogue on the controversial dam issue.
In turn, Sisi told the Ethiopian leader that Cairo supported Ethiopia's desire to develop by constructing the GERD, but this development should not be at the expense of Egypt's rights to the Nile.
Ethiopia has been constructing the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile since 2011, with the GERD expected to become fully operational by 2022.
Cairo has been concerned by the construction, fearing that the dam may affect Egypt's share of water and seriously damage the national economy and agriculture.
The main issues being disputed are related to the volume of water to be released annually after the first stage of filling the reservoir. Egypt proposes an annual release of 40 billion cubic meters (1.4 trillion cubic feet), while Ethiopia insists on 35 billion cubic meters.
The Russia-Africa Summit and Economic Forum is running in the Russian resort city of Sochi from October 23-24. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the event.
