Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met Thursday Ethiopian Prime Minister (PM) Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the 1st Russian-African summit hosted in Sochi, Russia.
They discussed the latest developments regarding Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as well as important regional issues of common interest.
Ahmed said that the meeting which lasted for around 45 minutes took place in a "Positive" atmosphere, according to Russia Today (RT) website.
Noteworthy, in statements to Ethiopian parliament, Ahmed said that if there is a need to go to war over GERD, his country could mobilize millions, yet he confirmed that negotiations are the only way out of this current deadlock.
He also added that his country is determined to complete the establishment of the dam, describing it as an excellent project.
In response, Egypt expressed its shock over Ethiopian PM remarks.
Egypt's Foreign Ministry noted that Ahmed’s remarks included unacceptable and inappropriate signals about dealing with the (GERD)’s issue, according to an official statement.
The ministry added that it found it astonishing of the Ethiopian PM to make such statements about war when he has just received the Noble Peace Prize.
1st African-Russian summit
The first African-Russian summit kicked off, Wednesday in Sochi, Russia under the slogan of “Russia and Africa: Uncovering the Potential for Cooperation”.
The three-day summit is co-chaired by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
This is the first event of this level in the history of Russian-African relations.
The summit is attended by around 43 African leaders, and a number of major African regional organizations including; “African Union”, “East African Community”, “Economic Community of Central African states”, and “Arab Maghreb Union”.
On the 1st day, Egypt’s president held a series of meetings with African leaders including South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, Chadian President Idriss Deby and Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission Mr. Moussa Fakih.
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