Egypt’s FM Leaves for Washington for Final Round over GERD

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry headed earlier today to Washington to participate in the last round of the tripartite meetings of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia’s foreign and irrigation ministers over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam GERD.

The meetings will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday with a view of reaching a balanced solution and a fair agreement on all aspects of the rules of filling and operating the Grand GERD.

The US-sponsored negotiations will be also attended by representatives for the World Bank.

It was supposed to reach a final agreement during the last meeting held in Washington on January 15th, but the three concerned parties agreed to hold another meeting on Tuesday to finalize a comprehensive agreement on filling and operating the dam.

Here’s to know the joint statement issued by the three countries in their latest meeting:

• The filling of the GERD will be executed in stages and will be undertaken in an adaptive and cooperative manner that takes into consideration the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the potential impact of the filling on downstream reservoirs.
• The filling will take place during the wet season, generally from July to August, and will continue in September subject to certain conditions.
• The initial filling stage of the GERD will provide for the rapid achievement of a level of 595 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) and the early generation of electricity, while providing appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan in case of severe droughts during this stage.
• The subsequent stages of filling will be done according to a mechanism to be agreed that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that addresses the filling goals of Ethiopia and provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.
• During long term operation, the GERD will operate according to a mechanism that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.
• An effective coordination mechanism and provisions for the settlement of disputes will be established.
• The Ministers agreed that there is a shared responsibility of the three countries in managing drought and prolonged drought.
• The Ministers agreed to meet again in Washington, D.C. on January 28-29 to finalize a comprehensive agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD, and that there will be technical and legal discussions in the interim period.