Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry left for Washington on Sunday at the invitation of the US administration, to participate in the meeting of foreign ministers from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to discuss the situation on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is scheduled to be held on November 6.
The meeting includes the participation of the World Bank. During the visit, Shoukry is expected to consult with various US circles on aspects of bilateral relations, as well as exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern.
Shoukry said on Thursday that his country has a sincere political will to reach a binding agreement with Ethiopia and Sudan on the GERD, and hopes that US mediation will lead to positive results.
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry announced last month that US President Donald Trump invited Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to a meeting in Washington on November 6 to resume negotiations on the GERD conflict.
Earlier in October, Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry said that negotiations with Ethiopia reached a dead end after the two sides failed to reach an agreement over the filling of GERD.
The Egyptian government blamed the failure of the talks on obstacles from the Ethiopian side.
Since Ethiopia started constructing the dam, Egypt has voiced its fears that the project would negatively impact its water supply. The other side stated the importance of this project to the Ethiopian economy. Egypt relies considerably on the Nile for freshwater.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
