Sisi, Ramaphosa Discuss GERD Developments

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed Wednesday with South Africa Counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

“President Sisi received a phone call from President Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa,” said Presidency Spokesperson Bassam Rady.

Rady stated that the call dealt with the developments of the Renaissance Dam file, in light of sponsoring of the African Union, headed by South Africa, of the tripartite negotiations between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.

“President Sisi reiterated the Egyptian principles regarding the Renaissance Dam, especially with regard to the resumption of tripartite negotiations to formulate a binding and comprehensive legal agreement between all concerned parties regarding the rules for filling and operating the dam, and rejecting any action or procedure that affects Egypt's rights to the Nile waters,” Rady noted.

On his part, President Ramaphosa expressed his aspiration for the continuation of intensive coordination between the two countries during the coming period, to work on resolving the current situation, and to reach a fair and balanced agreement on this vital issue.

The spokesman added that the contact also touched upon some issues of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and South Africa, as well as exchanging views on developments in a number of regional issues and files related to the African Union.