Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi emphasized on Saturday that Egypt will not accept any threats to its water security, highlighting the necessity of reaching a legally binding agreement that preserves Egypt's water rights and serves the interests of all parties, thereby avoiding further tension and instability in the region. This statement came during El-Sisi's reception of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo.
The Egyptian presidency announced in a press release that the meeting primarily focused on discussing the latest developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Egyptian president expressed his country's appreciation for President Tshisekedi's efforts and confidence in his ability to manage the GERD issue, while reiterating Egypt's commitment to support these efforts within the framework of the negotiation process, led by the Democratic Republic of Congo, the current chair of the African Union, with the participation of international partners to achieve a legally binding agreement concerning the filling and operation rules of the dam.
For his part, President Tshisekedi affirmed his commitment during this phase to intensify coordination on this sensitive issue to assist all parties in making progress in the related trilateral negotiations, commending Egypt's significant efforts to reach a fair and balanced agreement regarding the dam that considers the interests of the three countries.
The Congolese president's visit included stops in Sudan and Egypt, as well as Ethiopia, to discuss the GERD file. This trip is part of his country's role in facilitating the Ethiopian dam negotiations as the current chair of the African Union.
Days earlier, Tshisekedi met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who visited Kinshasa as part of an African tour to several member states of the African Union's executive office. During the visit, Shoukry delivered messages from El-Sisi to the leaders of seven nations that outlined Egypt's position on the stalled GERD negotiations.
On Saturday, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry stated that it is currently seeking to reach an agreement regarding the second filling of the dam's reservoir without addressing other issues, considering that "the dam's benefits are for everyone." The ministry's spokesperson, Ambassador Dina Mufti, indicated that "Egypt and Sudan are trying to internationalize the GERD issue, while we are committed to having the African Union oversee the negotiations." Mufti called on the downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan) for a "comprehensive and binding agreement on the mechanisms for filling and operating the dam" before the anticipated second filling in July and August.
