CAIRO — Egypt is currently demanding negotiations over controversial issues related to the filling operation at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as dam construction appears to be stalling.

On Aug. 25, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spoke at his first press conference since he took office in May about the obstacles hindering the completion of the dam.

“Thinking big is one thing, but accomplishing it is another,” he said. “We have handed over a complicated water dam project to people who have not seen a dam in their life, and if we continue in that direction, the project may never see the light of day,” Ahmed said.

He accused the military-run corporation Metals and Engineering Corporation (METEC) — which is responsible for design, manufacturing, installation and erection of electromechanical and hydraulic steel structure works at the project — of intentionally making the project fail, saying METEC and its management did not have enough experience to work on such large projects. Noteworthy is that former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn put METEC in charge of the project.