Egypt declares dead end in Renaissance Dam negotiations with Ethiopia, Sudan

ISTANBUL

Egypt said Tuesday that the latest round of negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have failed.

The latest meeting held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa did not yield any results due to Ethiopia's persistent refusal to accept any of the technical or legal compromise solutions that would safeguard the interests of all three countries, Egypt’s Ministry of Irrigation said in a statement.

The ministry added that it has become evident that Ethiopia has elected to continue exploiting the negotiation process as a cover to solidify a fait accompli on the ground while negotiating exclusively for the purpose of obtaining an instrument of approval from downstream countries of unregulated and absolute Ethiopian control of the Blue Nile, in isolation from Ethiopia's obligations under international law.

Given these Ethiopian positions, negotiations have come to an end, it said, adding Egypt affirms that it will closely monitor the filling and operation of the dam and reserves the right, in accordance with international charters and accords, to defend its water and national security “in case of any harm.”

There were no comments from Ethiopia and Sudan about Egypt's statement.

The last four rounds of negotiations took place following a hiatus that lasted for more than two years after talks between the three countries broke down in April 2021.

This followed the failure of an African Union initiative to reconcile the viewpoints of the three countries.

Egypt and Sudan insist on first reaching a binding agreement with Ethiopia regarding the filling and operation of the dam to ensure the continued flow of their shares of Nile River water.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Sept. 10 the success of the fourth stage of filling the dam, a move that Cairo considered a "new violation” by Addis Ababa.