Egypt rejects Ethiopia's statement on the Renaissance Dam negotiations, accusing it of intransigence and misinformation

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized a statement issued by Ethiopia regarding the fourth round of the Renaissance Dam negotiations, and considered that it includes "unacceptable fallacies", and said that it presented a picture completely contrary to the course of the negotiations, Egypt's positions and technical theses, and the reality of what happened in the meeting.

The ministry said in a statement that the three ministerial meetings and the last meeting in Addis Ababa on January 8 and 9 this year that discussed the rules for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, did not lead to tangible progress "because of Ethiopia's intransigence and adopting excessive positions in it reveal its intention to impose the status quo And its control over the Blue Nile and the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam without the slightest consideration of the water interests of the downstream countries, especially Egypt. "

Egypt considered that this act violates its legal obligations in accordance with international treaties and norms, foremost of which is the Declaration of Principles Agreement concluded on March 23, 2015, as well as the 1902 agreement that Ethiopia concluded with its free will as an independent state, and the 1993 agreement in which it pledged not to harm Egypt's water interests.

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Ethiopia of seeking to control the Blue Nile "as it does in other joint international rivers" that it shares with sister countries, and said that "this unfortunate Ethiopian approach has been reflected in its technical stances and proposals that were presented during the ministerial meetings, which reflect Ethiopia's intention to fill Al Nahda Dam Reservoir unconditionally and without applying any rules that provide real guarantees to the downstream countries and protect them from potential damage to the filling process.

The statement said that "contrary to what was stated in the statement of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed that Egypt asked to fill the Renaissance Dam in a period of 12 to 21 years, Egypt did not specify a number of years to fill the Renaissance Dam, but rather the reality of the matter is that the three countries agreed since More than a year after filling the dam in stages, the speed of its implementation depends on the annual revenue of the Blue Nile.

He added that the Egyptian offering leads to filling the Renaissance Dam in 6 or 7 years if the river’s revenue is average or above average during the filling period, but in the event of a drought, the Egyptian Offering enables the Renaissance Dam to generate 80% of its productive capacity from electricity, which means The Ethiopian side bore the burden of drought in a small percentage.

Egypt also condemned what was stated in the statement of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry that Egypt seeks to monopolize the waters of the Nile, explaining that such statements do not help to create an environment conducive to achieving progress in the negotiations.

The statement concluded that Egypt will participate in the meeting scheduled to be held by the US Treasury Secretary with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in Washington on January 13 and 14 this January "out of its commitment to work honestly to reach a just and balanced agreement and within the framework of its endeavors to preserve the interests of the people Al-Masry, which does not accept complacency. "

Ethiopian position
On Thursday, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Ethiopia had proposed that the period of filling the dam be between four and seven years, and suggested that measures be taken to mitigate droughts or prolonged droughts during the filling and operation of the dam.

The statement pointed out that the Ethiopian proposals allow to prevent serious damage to the downstream countries, and take into account the proposals of Egypt and Sudan. He continued that the principle of uncooperative natural flow deprived Ethiopia of its just and sovereign right to use its natural resources.

The foreign and irrigation ministers meeting in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia will come in Washington on January 13 and 14 this year, after a previous trilateral meeting held in Washington on November 6.

If no agreement is reached, then Article 10 of the Declaration of Principles signed between the three countries on the dam will be used in 2015.

This article gives the parties concerned the right to request mediation, which is a repeated Egyptian demand, or refer the matter to the chiefs to discuss any dispute.