Trilateral Talks on Ethiopia’s Dam Continues

ADDIS ABEBA – Water ministers of the three Nile Nations have continued their virtual meeting on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Earlier on Thursday, Ethiopia announced that it has shared its rules that guideline the filling of the Dam, scheduled to start in July, to Egypt and Sudan.

Ministers from Ethiopian Egypt and Sudan held their discussion the rules for the first filling & annual operation on Thursday via video-conference in the presence of the observers and Ethiopia’s Chairmanship.

“We deliberated on issues of concern based on Ethiopia’s shared documents and the proposal by Sudan,” said Seleshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy.

“We have made substantive discussions on issues,” he said adding that the participants “agreed to compare and exchange documents and focus on the upcoming negotiation on the outstanding differences”.

Minister Seleshi also said, “Ethiopia reiterates earnest negotiation, good faith and commitment are crucial to achieve a win-win outcome”.

His office, however, questioned Egypt’s approach.

Cairo is participating in the ongoing tripartite negotiation, while at the same time attempting to resort to the United Nations Security Council “for the second time to exert external diplomatic pressure is not an indication of transparency and good faith in the negotiation”, the ministry said in a statement.

Addis Ababa has called on the parties to engage in genuine dialogue and negotiation in order to make sure their concerns are incorporated in the guidelines and rules for the first filling and annual operation of the Dam.

Ethiopia “earnestly hopes that the international community will urge them to do so. Ethiopia is fully committed to doing its part,” the statement said.

The trilateral meetingwill take a break today and reconvenes on Saturday, 13 June 2020, with the chairmanship of Sudan for the day.