Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdel-Atty, addressed the Chairman of the United Nations Security Council regarding the fifth phase of filling the Renaissance Dam on Sunday, 1 September, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Abdel-Atty expressed Egypt’s firm rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies, which violate international law and breach the 2015 Declaration of Principles Agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia. He emphasized that these policies also breach the Security Council’s presidential statement of September 15, 2021.
The minister also condemned the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s claims about reserving Blue Nile waters and completing the dam’s concrete structure, describing them as “unacceptable and detrimental to regional stability.”
In his address, Abdel-Atty highlighted that, after 13 years of earnest negotiations, it has become evident that Addis Ababa seeks to use negotiations as a pretext while solidifying its unilateral policies.
Abdel-Atty also warned that Ethiopia’s illegal policies could have severe repercussions for Egypt and Sudan.
Despite the challenges posed by the dam and efforts by Egypt to mitigate its effects, the country remains vigilant and prepared to take all necessary measures to safeguard its interests and those of its people under the UN Treaty.
In July, the Ethiopian government announced its intention to move forward with the fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) reservoir this month, even as negotiations with downstream countries have yet to reach an agreement on the dam’s operational protocols.
The 2015 Declaration of Principles, signed in Khartoum by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, established key provisions: the GERD should not cause significant harm to any of the three countries; the dam should promote economic development and cross-border cooperation; and operational agreements must be in place before any reservoir filling.
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