Egypt has rejected claims made by Ethiopia that an agreement has been reached on the period of filling of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Nile River, reported The Anadolu Agency.
Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have been logged in a years-long dispute on the mega Nile dam.
Ethiopia began construction of the dam in 2011. Upon completion, the dam is expected to generate over 6,000 megawatts of electricity.
Egypt fears that the dam could adversely affect its share of water from the Nile River and wants Addis Ababa to reach a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, sees the dam as crucial for the country’s development process and denies causing any harm to the water share of Egypt and Sudan, two downstream countries.
The negotiation talks between the three countries have been suspended since April 2021.
Last week, the Arab summit passed a resolution in support of Egypt’s demand for reaching a binding agreement with Ethiopia on the filling and operation of the GERD.
But, on Monday, Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry criticized the Arab resolution, saying in a statement that the three countries have already reached an agreement on the period of the GERD filling. It said that Egypt’s decision to involve the Arab League in the issue was an affront to the African Union (AU) and its member states and a deliberate mischaracterization of its position.
In response, Egypt on Wednesday denied the Ethiopian claims, saying that the statement had false allegations.
In fact, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry termed the statement issued by the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry as an attempt to make a wedge between the Arab and African countries.
It urged Ethiopia to stop citing colonial agreements to run away from its legal obligations and its moral duty not to harm downstream countries.
