Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed extended a surprise invitation to Egypt and Sudan to attend the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in September.
Speaking before the Ethiopian Parliament today, Thursday, Ahmed stated, “The construction of the GERD is complete. We will inaugurate it at the end of summer in September. There are those who try to obstruct it before its opening, but we will inaugurate it. My message to the downstream countries is that the Renaissance Dam is a blessing for Egypt and Sudan.”
He continued, “Not a single liter of water has been reduced from the Aswan Dam.”
Ahmed emphasized that as long as Ethiopia is prosperous and developed, they wish no harm to their “Egyptian and Sudanese brothers.”
He added, “We will use energy and water together, and development and growth are coming. Ethiopia remains ready for dialogue, negotiation, and cooperation with downstream countries.”
“We officially invite Egypt and Sudan, as well as all governments of the downstream countries, to join us in our joy at the inauguration of the Grand Renaissance Dam in September,” he concluded.
GERD now ‘98.9 percent’ complete
The GERD has reached a 98.9 percent completion rate, bringing Ethiopia closer to “Achieving its national dream after 14 years of work,” according to the Director of the Ethiopian Dam Project Coordination Office, Aregawi Berhe.
Berhe stated on Wednesday that the dam symbolizes national sovereignty and popular unity, emphasizing that it was constructed without any external loans or aid. This assertion directly countered recent remarks by President Donald Trump, who criticized past US administrations’ alleged funding of the dam, Gazette Plus reported.
Tensions rising
Late 2024 saw tensions rise between Cairo and Addis Ababa following the failure of negotiations over the Nile River waters.
At the beginning of September 2024, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry sent a letter to the UN Security Council rejecting the recent statements made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the fifth filling of the GERD.
He stressed Egypt’s categorical rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies that violate the rules and principles of international law, which constitute a clear violation of the Declaration of Principles Agreement and the Security Council’s presidential statement of September 15, 2021.
The Egyptian letter to the UN explained that the end of 13 years of negotiations with Egypt’s sincerest intentions came once it was obvious to everyone that Addis Ababa is only interested in using the negotiations as a cover to prolong reaching any solution.
It added that Ethiopia is seeking to legitimize its unilateral policies that contradict international law and to hide behind unfounded claims that these policies are based on the right of peoples to development.
Ethiopia, in turn, responded with a letter to the Security Council in which it claimed that Egypt had participated in negotiations over the past decade with the sole aim of obstructing its progress and returning to its rigid positions, claiming that Egypt’s insistence on its historical share of the Nile waters is borne from colonial-era deals and a refusal to accept any different outcomes.
