In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia expressed its disappointment with the recent resolution from the League of Arab States regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The statement emphasized that the management and utilization of the Nile River, including the GERD, should be left to the concerned parties in Africa.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded the League that the Nile River and all the riparian countries are located in Africa, and that the League’s attempts to politicize the issue of GERD are neither helpful nor based on facts or supported by law. Such actions do not promote friendly relations or support efforts to arrive at amicable solutions.
The African Union has been facilitating trilateral negotiations among Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to resolve outstanding issues.
In contrast to the League’s portrayal of the negotiations, the Ethiopian government has stressed that Egypt’s inflexible position of insisting on a water allocation based on a colonial-era claim and its persistent attempts to internationalize the issue are the primary reasons for the delay in negotiations.
Despite this, Ethiopia has remained dedicated to the AU-led negotiations. The resolutions of the League and Egypt’s statements raise doubts about their genuine commitment to negotiating in good faith under the AU’s guidance.
Ethiopian’s government reaffirmed its commitment to continue to fill and operate the GERD in accordance with the agreement of the Declaration of Principle of March 2015 signed between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan with full respect for the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary water resources.