Sisi: Egypt's Committed to Diplomacy Over GERD Dispute

This morning, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has affirmed that Egypt is committed to diplomacy in its efforts to solve the dispute with Ethiopia over the Nile river dam (GERD) which Addis Ababa intends to fill shortly.

Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have stalled Wednesday, just two weeks before Addis Ababa starts the filling process for the dam which cost more than 4 billion USD, and was built over Blue Nile, near the borders with Sudan. 

On its part, Cairo announced that it refers the whole issue to the United Nations Security Council, calling upon its members to intervene in favor of negotiations resumption. 

President Sisi said: “When we resorted to the Security Council.. That was because we were keen to always adopt the diplomatic and political approach until its end.”

“We need to move strongly to end the negotiations and reach a deal, and to find solutions that are in everybody's interest,” he explained.

President Sisi noted that Egypt is keen to seal an agreement that is legally binding, which guarantees the minimum water flow and a mechanism for dispute resolutions before the dam gets operating. 

The latest round of talks, which started online on June 9, follows a previous round in Washington that ended without an agreement in February.

Also, President Sisi recalled a speech he made before the Ethiopian parliament five years ago. He said then that while Egypt “appreciates” the Ethiopians ’need for development, they must also respect Egyptians’ needs for“ life. ”

In his speech today, President Sisi has ordered the army to stay ready to execute any operation whether inside Egypt or outside the national borders to protect Egypt’s national security, amid tensions mourning over the Turkish intervention in neighbouring Libya.