Egypt's FM: GERD Negotiations Reached Impasse Again

On Sunday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the new round of negotiations held today failed to achieve any progress over the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)

In a statement, the ministry asserted that Egypt is ready to get involved in serious talks in order to reach, in the nearest possible time, a legally binding agreement on the filing and operations of the GERD that safeguards Egypt’s rights and water interests and is in line with the decisions of the African Union office’s meetings on the issue

It added that today's meeting failed to achieve any progress due to the differences on how to resume the talks and the procedures related to the negotiations process.

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shouky and Minister of Irrigation and Water Sources Mohamed Abdel-Ati participated in the video conference talks.

South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor, who attended the online meeting, expressed her sorrow for the failure to achieve any progress, the statement said.

Sudan said that it was concerned the dam could overwhelm its nearby Roseires dam if an agreement is not reached that would allow the countries to share data.

The prolonged dispute between the three countries has continued even after the reservoir behind the $4 billion dam began filling in July.

“Sudan insisted on the assigning of African Union experts to offer solutions to contentious issues ... a proposal which Egypt and Ethiopia have reservations about,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said in a statement posted to social media.