Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA: October 26 (EI) – The Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday said that Ethiopia and Egypt have agreed on issues that ascertain the mutual benefit of the two countries’ peoples.
The Ethiopian premier made the remarks after he met the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on the sideline of the Russia-Africa Summit, which is underway in the Russian city Sochi, where the two leaders discussed on bilateral agendas, with particular emphasis on the construction of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile river, Ethiopia’s state-run news agency ENA reported on Thursday.
Abiy also told reporters after his meeting with the Egyptian President that he “had a fruitful discussion with President el-Sisi,” the report read.
Abiy, noting the two countries keen interest to work together based on win-win approach and thereby ensuring the benefit of their people, also stated that Egypt’s concern is related to the filling of GERD.
“We have agreed the technical committee to look into it and to discuss about it for the decision,” ENA quoted Ahmed as saying.
The Ethiopian premier also noted that the GERD project “should not be a center of attention. We have discussed on jointly planting trees to receive rainfall to which President el-Sisi responded positively.”
“We can have political discussions while the technical discussions who have met for the fifth round so far will continue separately and it will not obstruct the technical committee’s work,” Ahmed said.
He also emphasized that recent media reports attempt to create conflict between the two countries will eventually decline while the project will continue to realize the development.
The diplomatic relations among Ethiopia and Egypt is largely intertwined with the Blue Nile River – a major tributary to the Nile River – that originates from the Ethiopian highlands and shared among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.
The construction of the GERD on the river, which will be regarded as Africa’s largest dam upon completion with a total volume of 74,000 million cubic meters, has been a major issue among the three countries since its commencement in April, 2011.
Egypt, a downstream Nile Basin country, has been frequently expressing its concern that the dam would affect its share of the river.
On Tuesday, Abiy, while responding to questions raised by members of the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives – the lower house of the Ethiopian parliament, had also emphasized that the East African country’s only ambition through construction of the disputed dam is not to harm other riparian countries.
“Ethiopia has no intention of harming Sudan or Egypt in relation to construction of the GERD project,” Ahmed told the parliament, adding “Ethiopia is building GERD in a way that respects its dignity and benefits, without harming the lower riparian countries.”
