Official: Egypt opposes any unilateral action on GERD

Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aty said that reaching a legally binding deal on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) would pave the way for more regional cooperation and integration among Nile Basin countries.

Addressing the 1st international Water Conference hosted in Baghdad, Abdel Aty said, 'cooperation with brotherly African countries tops Egyptian state's priorities,' stressing that Egypt has never hesitated to provide all forms of support to all African countries.

"Reaching a binding legal deal to fill and operate GERD will pave the way for achieving regional cooperation and integration as well as attracting investments that will contribute to advancing development in all Nile basin states."

Dr. Abdel-Ati stressed that Egypt "is not against development in the Nile Basin countries, but Egypt opposes any unilateral action by the upstream countries without taking into account the interests of the downstream countries."

It is worth mentioning that, Ethiopia rejected on last week the Sudanese quartet mediation proposal on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue.

In a statement, Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that the country has the full legal right to use its water resources in a fair and equitable manner without harming the downstream countries.

The ministry added that the GERD crisis can be solved through the ongoing negotiations under the auspices of the African Union (AU), explaining that the issue does not require the invitation of other parties as mediators, in reference to Sudan’s quartet mediation proposal.

 Sudanese Minister of Irrigation Yasser Abbas has welcomed Egypt’s support for the quartet mediation proposal in Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stressing that negotiations are still possible.

In an exclusive interview with ‘Al-Arabiya’ news website on Sunday, the Sudanese minister said that GERD should be ‘a gesture of regional cooperation and not a tool for political hegemony.’