Tunisia Seeks Satisfactory Nile Water Agreement btw Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia

Tunisian Foreign Minister (FM) Othman Al-Jarandi announced today, Wednesday, that his country is making efforts to reach a satisfactory agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia on sharing the Nile waters in a way that does not affect negatively the interest of any party.

During his meeting with his Ethiopian counterpart, Demeke Mekonnen on the sidelines of his participation in the Eighth Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Tunisia FM said that his country, as a non-permanent African member of the Security Council, "is doing everything in its power to make Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia reach a compromise solution."

Tunisia desires that the three countries reach a satisfactory solution between the three parties about sharing the Nile waters in a way that does not affect the interest of any party and makes the Nile a lifeline for all the peoples of these countries.

The Tunisian minister added dispute over sharing the Nile should not be a cause for tensions that may have repercussions that can be avoided in these difficult international circumstances that call for synergy and solidarity from all in what enables countries to Africa to face the major challenges before it.

The minister added that "the wisdom in dealing with issues and managing differences necessitates searching for the best ways of consensus so that stability prevails among the peoples of the Nile River in a way that helps to achieve sustainable development in the region."

However, Egypt warns of the danger of undermining the security of the region and intensifying illegal immigration due to the Renaissance Dam.

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, warned that any water shortage his country would suffer as a result of Ethiopia’s unilateral implementation of the Renaissance Dam project and that in turn would negatively affect regional and international security.