Ethiopia Says GERD's Construction Proceeding as Planned

Ethiopia ignored Egyptian and Sudanese warnings of the need to reach a binding agreement on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stressing that the construction of the dam 'is proceeding as planned'.

In press statements, the Ethiopian Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy, Seleshi Bekele said, "The construction of the GERD is proceeding as planned.

He also stressed that the Ethiopians' support for the dam either at home or abroad is at its best, according to the Ethiopian News Agency.

Moreover, the agency added that a delegation headed by the Minister visited the construction site of the dam and held discussions with contractors, consultants, members of the board of directors and employers about the progress of the dam's construction.

Last month, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the new round of negotiations failed to achieve any progress over the controversial GERD.

In a statement, the ministry asserted that Egypt is ready to get 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.

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.