Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry traveled to Washington on Tuesday to participate in ministerial meetings between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia scheduled for February 27-28 regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The previous round of talks on February 12 and 13 saw the concerned parties agree that that the US and World Bank would finalize a comprehensive agreement regarding the filling and operating of the GERD.
The final agreement would be signed between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan before the end of February, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said.
Under the auspices of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank representatives the negotiations started in November and brought together the foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in Washington.
The meetings discussed regulations for operating and filling the GERD in various stages, including drought, alongside long-term operating rules and coordination between the three countries, and a binding mechanism to resolve any disputes that may arise over the interpretation or application of the agreement.
Egypt, which relies considerably on fresh water from the Nile, has voiced concerns that the GERD would negatively impact the country’s water supply in light of the country’s growing population, which has officially reached 100 million.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, has stressed the importance of the project to bolstering the economy in the country, where more than half of the population currently lives without access to electricity.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
