CAIRO — In a state of cautious optimism, the Egyptian authorities dealing with the Nile waters file have begun to prepare for the return of technical negotiations with Ethiopia concerning the Renaissance Dam and the two countries' use of the Nile. This comes after negotiations ended last January and Cairo took the course of international escalation to protect its interests in the Nile.
Egypt and Ethiopia are returning to the negotiating table again, following the meeting between President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at the African Union Summit in Equatorial Guinea on June 26. In this meeting, the two sides agreed on seven key principles that specify the two countries' uses of Nile water, in the framework of mutual benefit and avoiding harm.
