Sisi: Nile River is 'Existential Issue' for Egyptians

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi asserted, on Wednesday, during a press conference with Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye that the Nile River is an "existential issue" for all Egyptians.

"It's a great pleasure to welcome my brother His Excellency President Ndayishimiye and the delegation accompanying him to his second country, Egypt, on his first visit to Cairo, wishing him and the accompanying delegation a good and fruitful stay," Sisi said.

He expressed deep appreciation for the historical relations between Egypt and Burundi, pointing out to holding intensive discussions on a large number of bilateral and regional issues of common interest.

Moreover, Sisi stressed Egypt's keenness to developing and deepening all existing forms of cooperation between the two countries, which in recent years have witnessed many positive developments, in order to achieve the interests of the two brotherly peoples.

He affirmed Egypt's readiness to develop this cooperation that achieves development goals in the two countries, at the level of trade and investment exchange.

"We also agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of transferring Egyptian expertise, providing technical support and building the capacities of national cadres in Burundi, by continuing the training programs offered by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development in various sectors," Sisi added.

Regarding the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the two leaders discussed the developments in this regard.

"We also reviewed the developments in the issue of the Renaissance Dam as an existential issue affecting the lives of millions of Egyptians," Sisi noted.

He reaffirmed "the need to reach as soon as possible a binding legal agreement that regulates the filling and operation of the dam, away from any unilateral approach that seeks to impose a fait accompli and ignore the basic rights of peoples."

Sisi and Ndayishimiye also discussed ways to enhance the existing cooperation between the two countries in the field of water resources and irrigation, and joint efforts to maximize the sustainable utilization of the Nile River resources, to make the Nile River a source of cooperation and development as a lifeline for all the peoples of the Nile Basin countries.