During his diplomatic visit to Djibouti, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against imposing a fait accompli in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.
With the second filling of the dam set to begin in July, the President has been garnering support against Ethiopia from African and other countries.
Sisi further rejected unilateral measures that do not take into account the interests and rights of the two downstream countries, Sudan and Egypt.
Sisi said that he reviewed with the President of Djibouti, Ismail Omar Guelleh, the latest developments in the crisis.
He stressed the need to reach a fair and balanced agreement on filling and operating the dam at the earliest possible opportunity, and in a way that strengthens the bonds of cooperation and integration between the countries and peoples of the region.
The construction of the dam, which began in 2011, is considered to be one of Egypt’s most serious water issues.
Egypt, which relies considerably on freshwater from the Nile, has voiced fears that the GERD would negatively impact the country’s water supply, and has insisted that measures be put in place to protect downstream countries in case of drought during the dam’s filling process.
Ethiopia, on the other hand, has stressed the importance of the project to bolster its economy, where more than half of the population currently lives without access to electricity.
