CAIRO — An Egyptian-Sudanese committee tasked with coordinating positions on the Nile River water convened Oct. 10 in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after a four-year hiatus.

The 62nd session of the Permanent Joint Technical Commission for Nile Waters between Egypt and Sudan came amid the ongoing crisis over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River, and the failure of the three parties to the conflict (Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia) to reach a legal agreement on operating and managing the dam after decadelong negotiations.

During the session, Aref Abdul Mabadi, head of the Egyptian team within the commission, stressed Egypt’s respect for the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement on the full use of the Nile waters with Sudan, which, he said, dictates the commission’s work.

Of note, the Permanent Joint Technical Commission for Nile Waters was formed shortly after the signing of the 1959 Nile Waters Agreement. It includes representatives of the ministries of water from both countries, as well as water experts.