Shoukry Reviews Recent Developments of Renaissance Dam with Guterres

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry made a phone call today,  Friday,   with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The call dealt with the latest developments regarding the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam file.

Ambassador Ahmed Hafez, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that during the call, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed concern about the stalled negotiations of the Renaissance Dam that took place under the auspices of the African Union.

Hafez added that Minister Shoukry reviewed the elements of the proposal submitted by the sisterly Republic of Sudan, which was supported by Egypt to develop the negotiation mechanism.

With the aim of engaging the international community in the talks by forming an international quartet led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in its capacity as the current chair of the African Union, which also includes the United Nations (UN)|, the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) to mediate the negotiations.

Hafez pointed out that the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed, during the call, stressed the need to launch serious and effective negotiations under the auspices of Africa and the participation of international parties that would result in reaching a fair, balanced, and legally binding agreement on filling and operating the Renaissance Dam.

The agreement should take into account the interests of the three countries, before the next flood season.

Ethiopia has announced its intention is to implement the second phase of filling during the coming flood season, as it takes this step unilaterally which will create negative effects and repercussions that must be avoided by reaching an agreement on the Renaissance Dam at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Spokesman concluded his remarks by noting that the Foreign Minister’s contact with the Secretary-General touched on the situation in Libya and the joint efforts between Egypt and the United Nations to push the political path in Libya, as Minister Sameh Shoukry stressed the importance of holding the elections on time because of the importance of this step in achieving security and stability in Libya.