Second Round Trilateral Talks Over GERD Starts in Addis Ababa

ADDIS ABABA – Negotiators from Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan are holding their second round of talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Addis Ababa.

“This Morning, we started the second round of trilateral negotiation on GERD in Addis Ababa,” Ethiopian chief negotiator Ambassador Seleshi Bekele announced in X, formerly known as Twitter today.

The megaproject on Abay River, the main tributary of the River Nile, has been a source of dispute among three countries ever since Ethiopia launched the project in 2011.

Negotiations over the dam resumed in Cairo last month, having been suspended for nearly two and a half years.

The negotiation was initiated in July by Ethiopian and Egyptian leaders with the intention “to finalize an agreement on the filling of the Dam and the rules of its operations within four months.

In Addis Ababa, the three countries are expected to resume their discussions on the draft guidelines and rules.

“Ethiopia is guided by the principle of equitable reasonable utilization of the Nile and works for an amicable outcome,” Ambassador Seleshi said.

Ethiopia completed the fourth round of filling of the reservoir at the hydroelectric dam earlier this month.

The Construction of the Megaproject and filling its reservoir is in compliance with the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed by Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan in 2015, according to Seleshi.

In his opening remarks, Seleshi also expressed his hope that the three countries will reach an understanding of the pending issues in this round of talks.

Egypt’s Minister of Water and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam, and Sudan’s Acting Minister of Water, Dawelbeit Abdelrahman Mansour Basher, expressed their hope for an agreement in their respective opening remarks.