Addis Ababa: Ethiopia said on Friday it was “continuing to fill the Renaissance Dam” over which it is in dispute with Egypt and Sudan, stressing its commitment to an “African” solution to the crisis.
This came in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, carried by the Ethiopian Radio “Fana”, and seen by Anatolia.
“The government of Ethiopia is dissatisfied with the decision of the (Arab) League on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” the statement said.
On Wednesday, the Arab League adopted after a ministerial meeting “a resolution on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) unanimously calling on Addis Ababa to show flexibility on the issue, as well as to put the crisis as a permanent item on the agenda of the League Council,” according to Sameh Shoukry, Egypt’s foreign minister and chairman of the current session of the League Council.
In its statement, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry pointed out that “the management and use of the Nile River, including the filling and operation of the dam, must be left to the concerned parties in Africa.”
Stressed that “the Renaissance Dam is an African issue that needs an African solution,” noting that “the Nile River and all riparian countries are in Africa.”
“The government of Ethiopia is continuing to complete the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam,” the Foreign Ministry said.
On Thursday, Shoukry said that “there is no desire on the part of Ethiopia to reach an agreement on the Renaissance Dam,” noting that it is “ahead of a fourth unilateral filling of the dam.”
The past years have witnessed the first, second and third filling of the Ethiopian dam, without agreement with Egypt or Sudan, amid condemnation by the two countries in exchange for Addis Ababa’s adherence to its position.
Amid negotiations frozen for more than a year, Cairo and Khartoum insist on first reaching a tripartite agreement on filling and operation, to ensure the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile River’s water, while Addis Ababa rejects and stresses that the dam, which it began construction since 2011, is not intended to harm anyone.
