GERD’s Technical Meeting Kicks Off in Sudan

The two-day trilateral technical consultations meeting among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) kicked off earlier Wednesday in Al-Khartoum.

This meeting came in accordance with the outcomes of the last ministerial meeting held in Washington, in the presence of the foreign and water ministers of the three countries as well as the US Treasury Secretary and World Bank President.

It is worth mentioning that, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan agreed to reconvene in Washington on January 28-29 to finalize a comprehensive agreement on the rules of GERD filling and operation, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Ahmed Hafez.

In a joint statement, the ministers agreed that consultations among technical and legal experts of the three countries will take place during the interim period.

The joint statement includes the main elements and determinants of the final agreement, foremost of which, the rules regulating the filling and operation of the dam, as well as the procedures that must be followed to deal with prolonged drought, in a manner that ensures no harm to Egyptian water interests.

In addition, the ministers agreed to establish an effective coordination mechanism and provisions for the settlement of disputes.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian FM expressed Egypt’s intention to continue working to conclude a “balanced and just” final agreement, which secures the common interests of the three countries and preserves Egypt’s rights and water interests.

Previous meetings ended without agreement, with Egypt voicing concern that Ethiopia had not offered sufficient guarantees that filling the dam would be slowed during droughts.