Egypt coordinates with Tanzania as Ethiopian dam negotiations paused
Egypt ramps up coordination efforts with Tanzania amid fading hopes of resuming GERD negotiations.
Egypt and Tanzania agreed to intensify coordination on the controversial Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) that Ethiopia is building on the Blue Nile, the main Nile tributary.
This was reached Nov. 10 when Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hosted his Tanzanian counterpart, Samia Hassan, in Cairo, in her first visit to Egypt since her inauguration as president of Tanzania last March.
Sisi asserted his country is looking forward to reaching a legal, binding and fair agreement on filling and operating the GERD with Ethiopia based on the rules of international law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council, “away from any unilateral approach aimed to impose a fait accompli and disregard the basic rights of people."
In a joint press conference with Hassan following bilateral talks, Sisi affirmed that water is a matter of national security for his country, stressing Egypt's insistence on its water rights.
