GERD Agreement .. President's Gift to Egyptians on Valentine's Day

Elham Abuelfateh

I am writing this article on Valentine's Day, and despite the threat of Coronavirus, the statement issued by the Egyptian foreign Ministry on Friday, drew a state of optimism about the course of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam “GERD” negotiations, and it is necessary to congratulate the Egyptian negotiators who sought to reach a solution that preserves the Egyptian people right in safe drinking water!

I still remember President El-Sisi’s promise 5 years ago during the opening of the million-acre project in December 2015 when he talked about the issue of the Renaissance Dam, and said that the Nile water is a matter of life and death for Egypt.

Well Mr. President, you didn’t break your promise especially regarding what relates to a safe life for the Egyptians. Now I realized the concept of the president’s promise on the Egyptian and Ethiopian sides when he said that we both want life, along with the brotherly Sudanese side.

Today, while I am reading the statement of the Egyptian foreign Ministry, I want to send the first bouquet of flowers to President El-Sisi, the honest negotiator who promised to work and fulfilled his promise for the sake of Egypt.

The statement confirms that negotiations have been completed on the elements of the Renaissance Dam Filling and Operation Agreement, which include filling the dam in stages and according to specific procedures to deal with droughts, protracted droughts and scarce years during filling the dam.

The statement touched upon long-term operating rules, which include the operation in accordance with the normal hydrological conditions.

Although the statement came after 9 years of stalling negotiations, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia reached an agreement on the Renaissance Dam ... under the auspices of the US Treasury Secretary and in the presence of World Bank representatives.

The Egyptian foreign ministry’s clear statement that the final agreement over the GERD file is likely to be signed by the end of February 2020 has made my unshakeable belief that the coming days will show a better future for all peoples of the Nile basin countries, if the three countries implement the commitments.