In a letter to UNSC over GERD operation: ‎‏Egypt firmly rejects Ethiopia’s unilateral measures

Egypt sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) denouncing Ethiopia’s inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), saying the project remains a unilateral venture that violates international law “with no consequences affecting the legal regime of the Eastern Nile Basin.”
‎‏The letter, submitted by Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aati on Tuesday, said Ethiopia’s recent unilateral moves on GERD amounted to a fresh breach, adding to “a long list” of violations, including the UNSC’s Presidential Statement of 15 September 2021.
‎‏Egypt has stressed that any misconceptions suggesting that Cairo might turn a blind eye to its existential interests in the Nile waters are mere illusions, the letter read.
‎‏Cairo reaffirmed its rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral measures, insisting it would not recognise or accept any consequences that undermine “the existential interests of the peoples of the two downstream states, Egypt and Sudan.”
‎‏Egypt remains committed to the application of international law on the river and will not allow Ethiopian attempts to unilaterally dominate the management of water resources, it added.
‎‏Cairo reserves its right to take all measures guaranteed under international law and the UN Charter to defend the existential interests of its people, the statement read.
‎‏“Since the unilateral initiation of the Ethiopian dam project and over the recent years, Cairo has exercised maximum restraint and chosen to resort to diplomacy and international organisations – including the UN,” the foreign ministry statement read.
‎‏It stressed that Egypt’s reliance on diplomacy did not stem from an inability to defend its existential interests, but from a firm belief in the importance of co-operation and mutual benefit for the peoples of the Nile Basin. 
‎‏Such co-operation, it said, must be rooted in international law and take downstream concerns into account.
‎‏“In contrast, Addis Ababa has adopted intransigent positions, seeking to delay negotiations and impose a fait accompli,” the statement continued.
‎‏It accused Ethiopia of pursuing a political agenda – not developmental needs – aimed at mobilising internal support by portraying a false image of an external enemy, under misleading claims of sovereignty over the Nile River, which is a shared resource among all riparian states.
‎‏The ministry warned that any “misguided assumptions” that Egypt might turn a blind eye to its existential interests in the Nile River are “purely illusory”, stressing that Cairo remains committed to international law and will not allow Ethiopia’s unilateral efforts to dominate water resource management.
‎‏“Egypt reserves its right to take all measures, as guaranteed under international law and the UN Charter, to defend the existential interests of its people,” it added.