Egypt accused Ethiopia of obstructing negotiations over the Renaissance Dam, and announced its refusal to fill the dam’s reservoir with Nile water without reaching a final agreement that would put an end to the years-old dispute.
The Egyptian foreign and water ministries said in a statement on Sunday that Ethiopia was "intentionally" absent from the last round of talks in Washington last Thursday and Friday, disclaiming its obligations under international law.
The Egyptian statement criticized what it described as fallacies contained in an Ethiopian statement issued on Saturday, and confirmed that Addis Ababa went to fill the reservoir of the Renaissance Dam before reaching a tripartite agreement with both Cairo and Khartoum.
He said that what was stated in the Ethiopian statement involved an explicit violation of international law and norms, as well as the agreement of the Declaration of Principles concluded on March 23, 2015, which stipulated the need to agree on the rules for filling and operating the dam before starting to fill its reservoir.
In the last round of tripartite talks held in Washington under American auspices, Egypt signed initials a draft agreement, but Ethiopia refused to sign it, and confirmed that negotiations on the Renaissance Dam had not been completed, and that there were still outstanding issues to be settled.
In a joint statement published on Saturday, the Ethiopian Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Energy and Water confirmed that Addis Ababa will begin the initial filling of the Renaissance Dam Reservoir in parallel with construction operations based on its right to fair and equitable use of Nile resources, and indicated that the initial filling is expected to start early in the rainy season this year That is, next July.
The joint Ethiopian statement came as a direct response to an American statement calling on Ethiopia not to start filling the tank before signing a final agreement.
And later, the Ethiopian Cabinet decided not to participate in any negotiations over the Renaissance Dam that might harm the country's national interests.
Egypt says that operating the Renaissance Dam and filling its reservoir without a final agreement would reduce its supply from the Nile, which provides 90% of the water it needs for drinking and irrigation.
On the other hand, Ethiopia denies its intention to harm Egypt's share of the Nile water, and stresses the importance of the project to develop its economy, as the dam - which is expected to finish its works in 2012 - will meet its electricity needs.