Ethiopia calls on Security Council  to urge Egypt and Sudan to return to GERD tripartite talks

Addis Ababa, April 19, 2021 (FBC) – Ethiopia has called upon members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to urge Egypt and Sudan to return to the tripartite negotiations on the first filling and annual operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and respect the AU-led process.

In a letter addressed to the current President of the UNSC on 16 April 2021, Ethiopia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen recalled the AU-led process has enjoyed the full support of the UNSC on the basis of the principles of complementarity and in the spirit of finding African solutions to African problems.

However, Egypt and Sudan are not negotiating in good faith and are not ready to make the necessary concessions to reach a win-win outcome, he said.

He further stated that the two countries chose to “scuttling” the negotiation and “internationalizing” the issue to exert undue pressure on Ethiopia.

The letter affirmed Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment and trust over the AU-led tripartite negotiation and expressed the country’s gratitude for the genuine efforts of South Africa and now the Democratic Republic Congo to address the matter in the spirit of African solutions for African problems.

The letter also recalled Ethiopia’s initiative on data exchange before the commencement of the second filling of the dam in the upcoming rainy season, which the two downstream countries declined.

The insistence by the two countries to maintain the unjust status quo and foreclose Ethiopia’s water use upstream of the GERD under the pretext of “concluding a binding comprehensive agreement” is unacceptable, said the letter.

The letter also underlined Ethiopia’s firm commitment to the Declaration of Principle (DoP) that was signed by the leaders of the three countries and noted that Egypt and Sudan are reneging their commitment that they have entered under the DoP.

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