Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed that Egypt has the right to defend the capabilities and interests of its people, and that Egypt takes strong standings and takes into account all considerations and relations.
“All options are open, and all alternatives remain available, and Egypt has its capabilities, its foreign relations, and its capabilities,” Shoukry said implying the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
During a telephone interview with “Hadith al-Qahira” (Cairo Talk) on the “al-Qahira wal Nas” (Cairo and the People) channel, Shoukry added that “we just declare all options open without defining specific procedures, and this serves the Egyptian interest in retaining all available alternatives.”
He continued: The capabilities of the Egyptian people are endless, and Egypt takes disciplined stances towards Ethiopian intransigence.
Shourky refrained from talking about the fourth filling of GERD, stressing that Egypt monitors and follows the situation carefully.
Shoukry also explained that Egypt’s signing of the Agreement of Principles with Ethiopia was an expression of its goodwill, but “unfortunately we did not find flexibility on the Ethiopian side,” calling on Ethiopia to act responsibly during filling the dam so that the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, would not be harmed.
He stated that despite the lack of similar flexibility on the part of the Ethiopian side, contrary to Egypt, “we continued to interact with all countries that tried to help.”
Shoukry stressed the importance of reaching a binding legal agreement to operate and fill GERD so that no harm will occur to anyone in the light of a negotiating framework.
He concluded: demanding that there be no serious damage to the downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, is compatible with the rules of international law and the United Nations, and every country has the right to defend the interests and capabilities of its people.
