Egypt firmly rejects Ethiopia unilateral GERD measures as 'violation of international law' - Foreign Affairs
Minister Sewilam described the Ethiopian measures as a clear violation of international law, particularly the rules related to the fair and equitable use of international waterways and the prohibition of causing harm to neighbouring countries.
Sewilam made his remarks during a meeting on Thursday with several ambassadors assigned to head Egyptian diplomatic missions abroad, in the presence of Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
During the meeting, the minister noted that the Ethiopian side has persistently promoted the idea of finalizing the dam, despite its illegality and contravention of international law.
"Ethiopia took these measures without a binding agreement with the downstream countries and despite substantial concerns expressed by Egypt and Sudan," Sewilam said.
He condemned these measures as attempts to impose water dominance instead of adopting the principles of partnership and cooperation.
He added that Ethiopia's repeated calls to resume negotiations are merely formal attempts to preserve its international image as a party willing to negotiate.
However, he stressed that the failure to reach a binding legal agreement for over thirteen years indicates Ethiopia's lack of political will and seriousness, as well as insincerity, regarding these calls.
He affirmed that Ethiopia's evasive actions, backtracking, and imposing facts on the ground contradict its declared willingness to negotiate, a position the international community must recognize.
On the other hand, Sewilam highlighted Egypt's sincere political commitment to reaching a legally binding agreement that achieves common interests and prevents harm to downstream countries.
However, the Ethiopian side's lack of political will has always hindered these efforts, he asserted.
Sewilam also reiterated Egypt's keenness to enhance cooperation with African countries, especially Nile Basin states, by supporting development and water projects.
In this respect, he highlighted the financing mechanism Egypt has launched, including dedicated funds for studying and implementing development and infrastructure projects in the Southern Nile Basin countries.
Furthermore, Sewilam reviewed the state's efforts to bridge the gap between water resources and needs by implementing major projects for treating agricultural drainage water (New Delta, Bahr El-Baqar, El-Mohassema), developing irrigation systems, water management, and other measures aimed at fulfilling water needs and addressing climate change challenges.
He also highlighted Egypt's support for African countries through various projects, including waterway cleaning, rainwater harvesting dams, solar wells, rainfall forecasting centres, and water quality monitoring.
Egypt also provided them with training and scholarships at Egyptian universities, as well as through the African Water and Climate Adaptation Centre and the Hydraulics Research Institute.
"Egypt possesses distinguished water management expertise, which it is keen to share with African countries, especially Nile Basin states," Sewilam noted.
The total rainfall in the Nile Basin amounts to approximately 1,600 billion cubic metres annually, and the total rainfall in Nile Basin countries, within the Nile Basin or in other river basins within these countries, reaches about 7,000 billion cubic metres per year. However, Egypt's water share is only 55.5 billion cubic metres.
For his part, Abdelatty expressed his appreciation for the ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Both ministries have overlapping responsibilities regarding the water file, which is linked to national security. They also collaborate with international partners to address water scarcity, enhance capacity building, and facilitate the transfer of technology.
Days ago, Abdelatty described water security as Egypt's sole existential threat, stressing that the country's historical Nile water rights are non-negotiable.
Between 2020 and 2024, Ethiopia unilaterally completed the dam's five-stage filling and began operating two turbines, without an agreement with its downstream nations, Egypt and Sudan.
In December 2023, Cairo announced the end of negotiations, citing Ethiopia's refusal to engage in proposed legal or technical solutions.
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