Ethiopia provided Egypt with false information about the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Egypt’s Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Aaty said.
Misinformation about the operation of the Renaissance Dam has serious consequences for Egypt and Sudan, Abdel Aaty added, in a television interview with Al Arabiya channel.
Abdel Aaty stressed that the Nile Basin countries had sovereignty and it was not acceptable for Ethiopia to speak on their behalf.
Abdel Aaty stressed the need for “political will on the part of Ethiopia in order to sign an agreement on the Renaissance Dam.”
“It is in the interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to cooperate in the crisis of the Renaissance Dam so that the whole region enjoys prosperity,” he added.
This week, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also stressed the need to resume negotiations on the dam.
Shoukry said, in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” on Wednesday, “We reject foreign interference in Arab affairs, and the Libyan road map is the basis for the solution with the support of the international community, and we stress the importance of holding the Libyan elections on time.”
“The Renaissance Dam negotiations cannot continue with no end, and the statement of the Security Council stressed the need to reach a binding legal agreement. The international community understands the importance of the Nile waters for Egypt and Sudan,” Shoukry continued, adding that preserving Arab national security and ending the region’s conflicts is a priority for Egypt’s foreign policy.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
