CAIRO – Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) following recent statements by the Ethiopian Prime Minister on the fifth phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The foreign minister reiterated Egypt’s categorical rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies which run counter to all international rules and principles, saying such policies represent a blatant violation of the Declaration of Principles signed by Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015 and the Security Council’s presidential statement issued on September 15, 2021.
He described as unacceptable the Ethiopian prime minister’s statements on keeping amounts of Blue Nile water this year behind the dam and completing the concrete structure of the project.
He added that such statements are part of the policy that raises concerns to neighbors and destabilizes a region whose countries favor co-operation and integration instead of seditions and differences.
The letter sent to the Security Council indicated that the termination of the negotiations track on the dam came after 13 years of discussions without a goodwill gesture from the Ethiopian side, said the foreign minister.
The letter pointed out that Addis Ababa wanted to continue negotiations as a coverup to pursue the status quo policy without the presence of a political will to reach a solution, he added.
The foreign minister affirmed that Ethiopia’s illegal policies will have dangerous consequences for Egypt and Sudan despite the rising levels of Nile floods in recent years.
He said that Egypt is following up the developments of the dam and is ready to take all measures that ensure its water rights in line with the UN charter.
