Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry stated on Saturday that Cairo and Khartoum will politically and firmly confront any unilateral actions by Ethiopia concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). He emphasized that Egypt is preparing for the continuation of stalled negotiations with Ethiopia. Shoukry predicted that Ethiopia would proceed with unilateral measures regarding the second filling of the dam "following the obstinacy during the Kinshasa negotiations." He considered that the second filling of the dam would impact the negotiations' trajectory, stressing that the downstream countries will not waiver or relinquish their rights in the event of significant harm during the dam's filling.
Earlier on Saturday, Egypt officially complained to the UN Security Council about Ethiopia, opposing Addis Ababa's unilateral decision regarding the second filling of the dam. The Egyptian foreign minister sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council to explain the latest developments regarding the GERD issue, citing the council's responsibility under the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security. The letter also included Egypt's objection to Ethiopia's announcement of its intention to continue filling the dam during the upcoming flood season and expressed Egypt's complete rejection of Ethiopia's approach, which seeks to impose facts on the downstream countries through unilateral actions that constitute a clear violation of applicable international law.
This comes as the Arab League Council is set to hold an extraordinary meeting at the ministers' level in Doha next Tuesday to discuss the developments of this issue. It is worth noting that Egypt announced on Friday that the current negotiations under the African Union's auspices are unlikely to yield any significant progress, following heightened tensions since the stalled talks that occurred between the three countries in April 2021. Both Cairo and Khartoum had previously renewed their call for international assistance to resolve their ongoing decade-long dispute with Ethiopia over the giant dam that Addis Ababa is constructing on the Blue Nile, a major tributary of the Nile River.
