Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Tuesday warned there would be severe regional consequences if the country’s water supply were affected due to the filing of the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River, reported Al Jazeera.
Egypt and Sudan are seeking a legally binding agreement over the filling and operations of the GERD, which Ethiopia says is crucial to its economic development.
“I’m not threatening anyone here, our dialogue is always reasonable and rational,” the Egyptian president said. “I say once again no one can take a drop from Egypt’s water, and if it happens there will be inconceivable instability in the region.”
“I repeat that the waters of Egypt are untouchable, and touching them is a red line,” el-Sisi said.
Notably, Egypt depends on the Nile for about 97 percent of its irrigation and drinking water.
The Egyptian president said his country wants to resolve the dispute before Ethiopia continues filling the dam’s giant reservoir during this year’s rainy season. Addis Ababa started filling the reservoir in July last year, a move that was strongly criticized by Egypt and Sudan.
“Our battle is a battle of negotiations,” the Egyptian leader said.
He added that his government seeks a legally binding agreement based on international laws and norms that govern cross-border rivers.
Mr. El-Sissi said a new round of negotiations is expected in the coming weeks. He did not elaborate further on whether international players would join the talks as mediators as Khartoum and Cairo have demanded.
Earlier this month, Sudan called for mediation by a quartet of the African Union, European Union, United Nations, and the United States, a proposal welcomed by Cairo but rejected by Addis Ababa.
During a news conference in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, foreign ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said Ethiopia remained committed to tripartite talks involving the African Union (AU).
