President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Egypt on Wednesday, 11 September, to discuss the Nile water issue, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), negotiations with Ethiopia, and efforts to secure a binding legal agreement on the dam’s operation and filling. During a joint press conference with his German counterpart at Al-Ittihadiya Palace, President Al-Sisi highlighted the Nile water issue as a top priority, mentioning GERD and the ongoing negotiations with Ethiopia to secure a binding legal agreement on the dam’s filling and operation. He noted that Egypt has been working for over a decade to reach an agreement based on international standards for transboundary rivers, emphasizing that Egypt relies solely on the Nile River, which has provided uninterrupted water for thousands of years. The statements follow Ethiopia’s demand that Egypt “must abandon its aggressive approach” regarding the contentious hydroelectric dam on the Nile River, amid rising tensions between the two nations. This response came after Egypt sent a letter to the UN Security Council, expressing Egypt’s firm rejection of Ethiopia’s unilateral policies, which violate international law. History of the dispute In 2010, Ethiopia announced…
President Al-Sisi: Egypt’s Only Source of Water is the Nile River
September 12, 2024
