Egypt Addresses Security Council on GERD Developments

On Sunday, Egypt's Foreign Minister and Minister for Migration and Affairs of Egyptians Abroad, Badr Abdelatty, sent a formal communication to the President of the United Nations Security Council. 

The letter addressed recent statements by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed regarding the fifth phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Minister Abdelatty strongly rejected Ethiopia's unilateral actions, which he argued contravene international law and breach the 2015 Declaration of Principles agreement signed with Sudan and Ethiopia, as well as the Security Council's presidential statement from September 15, 2021. 

He highlighted that Prime Minister Ahmed's remarks about reserving a portion of the Blue Nile's waters this year and completing the dam's concrete structure are categorically unacceptable to Egypt and continue Ethiopia's troubling approach towards its neighbors and regional stability.

The Egyptian letter to the Security Council detailed that after 13 years of negotiations with genuine Egyptian intentions, it became clear that Addis Ababa only sought to maintain a negotiating facade indefinitely to establish facts on the ground without any political will to reach a resolution, legitimizing its unilateral policies in contradiction to international law.

Furthermore, Minister Abdelatty emphasized that while Egypt has always been at the forefront of supporting development in the Nile Basin countries, development should benefit all parties and adhere to cooperative practices enshrined in international law, enhancing regional interconnectivity rather than harming others.

In his address, the minister stressed the serious negative impacts of Ethiopia's illegal policies on downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan. Despite recent high Nile flood levels and substantial efforts by Egypt to mitigate the unilateral impacts of the GERD in previous years, Egypt remains vigilant and prepared to take all necessary measures under the UN Charter to defend its existence and the interests of its people.

The Supreme Committee for Nile Waters, chaired by the Egyptian Prime Minister last week, reaffirmed Egypt’s right to defend its water security and to take necessary actions across various levels. 

The committee also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the Nile Basin, emphasizing Egypt’s belief in the importance of joint efforts to attract financing for development projects in the Nile Basin countries, fostering prosperity for all and avoiding the pitfalls of non-cooperative Ethiopian policies.