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.

According to the seven principles that were announced by the Egyptian and Ethiopian foreign ministers in a joint statement on June 27 — of which Al-Monitor obtained a copy — the negotiations must be based on respect for international law, prioritizing the establishment of regional projects to develop water resources to meet increasing demands, respect for the results of technical studies concerning the impact of the Renaissance Dam and a commitment on the part of the Ethiopian government to avoid any harm to Egypt's water use.

Speaking to Al-Monitor by phone, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hossam Moghazy said, "Preparations are currently underway for a tripartite meeting that will include Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt to revive negotiations again in Cairo in the second half of July 2014."