CAIRO — Following the failure of the Kinshasa talks — which according to Egyptian officials may have been the last chance to resolve the outstanding issues between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) — Ethiopian Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Seleshi Bekele addressed April 10 Egypt and Sudan in two letters, calling on them to form a mechanism to exchange data about the measures to implement the next stage of filling the GERD reservoir in July and August.

As per Bekele’s letter, establishing a mechanism for data sharing will constitute a good opportunity to build trust among the three countries. His letter included a notification of holding some technical tests for the lower gates of the dam by releasing water amounting to up to 1 billion cubic meters to prepare for the second stage of filling.

Egypt refused the Ethiopian proposal. The statement of the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources stated April 10 that the Ethiopian proposal contradicts the main aim behind the negotiations, which is to reach a binding legal agreement that includes the filling and operation of the dam. The ministry noted, “The proposal is just an obvious attempt to obtain Egyptian approval for the second phase of filling, even if the three countries do not reach an agreement.”

The statement underscored that “Egypt refuses any unilateral measures, and it will not accept any understandings or schemes that provide political and technical cover for Ethiopia’s attempts to impose a fait accompli on the two downstream countries.”