Addis Abeba — In a statement released this morning, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the trilateral negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have been underway to reach an outcome on the first filling and annual operation of the GERD, as per the Declaration of Principles.
It is regrettable, however, to witness that the progress of the negotiations has been dragged and politicized. Ethiopia has made its position clear time and again that this is unproductive and bringing the subject matter to the United Nations Security Council was and is unhelpful and far from the mandate of the Council.
It is recognized that the AU-led process is an important vehicle to address each party’s concerns and they have been able to reach understanding on a considerable number of issues through this setting. Furthermore, the process has also revealed the longstanding challenges which have to do with the absence of water treaty and basin-wide mechanism on the Nile.
Ethiopia is committed to bringing the AU-led trilateral process to a successful conclusion aiming to reach a mutually acceptable outcome. It is prepared and ready to work on the phased approach proposed by the Chairperson of the African Union, and, therefore, encourages both Egypt and Sudan to negotiate in good faith to bring the process to fruition. Dispatch