President Abdel Fattah El Sisi received a phone call on Thursday from Chairman of the Transitional Military Council of Sudan Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah Abdel Rahman Burhan, according to Presidential Spokesperson Ambassador Bassam Rady.
“President Sisi affirmed eternal historical relations between peoples of Egypt and Sudan,” said Rady.
Sisi manifested that the Egyptian strategic stance is steadfast in its support of stability and safety of Sudan and its people.
Rady noted that the telephone conversation tackled recent developments of regional issues of common interest; most importantly the Libyan crisis and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), adding that “both leaders agreed to continue intensive talks and joint cooperation in this context.”
On his part, the Sudanese leader lauded the popular and governmental rapprochement between Cairo and Khartoum, in addition to ways of fostering mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Moreover, Burhan hailed the Egyptian unlimited support for stability and security of Sudan.
In the same regard, Ministers from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed on Wednesday to reconvene in Washington later this month to finalize an agreement on GERD.
The ministers met in Washington this week and agreed to fill the $4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in stages during the wet season, taking into account the impact on downstream reservoirs, the U.S. Treasury Department, which hosted the meeting, said in a joint statement with the countries and the World Bank.
"Initial filling of the dam, due to begin in July, will aim for a level of 595 meters above sea level and early electricity generation, while providing appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during severe droughts," the statement said.
The ministers will hold technical and legal talks ahead of their Jan. 28-29 meeting in Washington, where they plan to finalize the agreement, the statement said.
Addis Ababa said the dam will not undermine Egypt’s access to water and the project is crucial to its economic development, as it aims to become Africa’s biggest power exporter with a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts.
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.
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