The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to settle their row on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile river, which is under construction in the Ethiopian highlands, before January 15, the sides said in a joint statement
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th November, 2019) The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to settle their row on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile river, which is under construction in the Ethiopian highlands, before January 15, the sides said in a joint statement.
The top diplomats, accompanied by their delegations, met in the United States on Wednesday. The meeting was also attended by the US secretary of the Treasury and the World Bank chief.
"The ministers reaffirmed their joint commitment to reach a comprehensive, cooperative, adaptive, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to establish a clear process for fulfilling that commitment in accordance with the 2015 Declaration of Principles ... The ministers also agreed to work toward completion of an agreement by January 15, 2020," the joint statement, published on the US Treasury Department's website late on Wednesday, read.
The ministers decided to convene in Washington, D.C. on December 9, 2019, and January 13, 2020, to assess progress in the row settlement.
The statement added that the ministers agreed to hold four technical governmental meetings at the level of water ministers, supported and observed by the World Bank and the United States.
The top diplomats also emphasized the importance of the River Nile for the development of their countries and noted the significance of transboundary cooperation.
Ethiopia began constructing what is expected to become Africa's biggest hydroelectric power site in 2012. However, tensions subsequently emerged between Addis Ababa and Cairo with the latter expressing concerns that Egypt, alongside Sudan that are located downstream, might experience water shortages due to the project. The sides have since held multiple rounds of talks on the issue.
The Declaration of Principles was signed by the three countries in Khartoum in March 2015 and is focused on principles to settle the conflict between them.
