CAIRO – Former assistant foreign minister, Mohamed Hegazy, has hailed the consensus reached between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on reaching a legally-binding agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) describing it as a new glimmer of hope.
He told MENA on Friday that such consensus serves the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia and help maintain stability in the region in terms of the latest regional and international developments.
Sisi and Ahmed agreed on Thursday to initiate urgent negotiations to finalize the agreement by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the filling of the GERD and the rules of its operation within four months.
This came in a joint statement following a meeting between the two leaders in Cairo, as they discussed means to overcome the current stalemate in the GERD negotiations, while Ethiopia stressed its commitment not to harm Egypt’s and Sudan’s share of water during the fourth filling of the GERD (2023-2024).
Sisi and Ahmed also reiterated their mutual political will to enhance bilateral relations at the political, economic and cultural levels, based on the common desire to achieve their interests, which in turn contributes to attaining the stability, peace and security of the region and boosting the two countries’ ability to deal with common challenges.
