Shoukry, Finnish Counterpart Discuss GERD File

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry received a phone call from his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry Ahmed Hafez said on Sunday.

They discussed the latest developments in Africa, especially the file of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) file.

Shoukry pointed out that Egypt had hoped for the success of the efforts of the African Union in managing the Renaissance Dam file, but the negotiations did not result in the desired outcomes, stressing that Egypt is looking forward to the resumption of negotiations under the presidency of Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi, to the African Union.

The foreign minister also stressed the need to reach a binding legal agreement before implementing the second phase of filling the dam, by launching a serious negotiation process, taking into account the interests of the three countries.

“The Egyptian state has expressed its political will to reach a fair and balanced agreement that achieves the Ethiopian development goals and at the same time preserves Egypt's rights and saves the downstream countries from the dangers and damages of this dam,” Shoukry noted.