Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid commented on statements made by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before the parliament regarding the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Abiy Ahmed confirmed Ethiopia’s readiness to negotiate on the GERD during the inquiries of the House of People’s Representatives in its fourteenth regular session held on Tuesday.
Regarding the tripartite negotiations, the Prime Minister indicated that Ethiopia is ready to listen to Egypt’s demands and address them to the best of its ability, while stressing the need for the Egyptian side to also be ready to meet Ethiopia’s demands.
He also added that concerns that Ethiopia’s filling of the GERD will lead to a decrease in the volume of water in the Aswan Dam “have been practically debunked.”
In an interview with Al-Ghad TV, Ahmed Abu Zeid noted that the statements of the Ethiopian Prime Minister were “somewhat ambiguous,” and that Cairo already announced its stance a while ago.
“We stopped continuing the negotiation process that does not lead to a clear end, and does not reveal real political intentions and will to reach an agreement,” he said.
“Cairo has announced hundreds of times that it is not against development in Ethiopia, and that it is ready to help in development projects, and that it is not against the construction of the dam in principle, but it wants to guarantee the rights of its people in the waters of the Nile River,” he added.
Abu Zeid warned against “Any talk that seeks to distort the Egyptian position and hint that Cairo is not serious and not fair.”
