Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said that his country is negotiating the Renaissance Dam, saying that concern is legitimate for the Egyptian people, but the threat of military action is unacceptable.
Al-Sisi added in a speech during the inauguration of the industrial city in the Rubiky area in Cairo that "negotiation is a battle that will last, and the media should not threaten any military action in the case of the Renaissance Dam."
The Egyptian President said that his country expressed its willingness to Ethiopia to help build the Renaissance Dam, provided that its rights are not harmed, noting that negotiations are now taking place to fill and operate the dam because of the difficult periods in which drought may come.
He stressed that his country will not sign anything in the Renaissance Dam that does not serve the interests of Egypt, and there must be an agreement that serves the interests of all and distributes harm to everyone as well.
He added that Egypt is with Ethiopia in its development right, but on the condition that it does not have an impact on the amount of water reaching his country, considering that "the water of the Nile came by God Almighty, and I assure the Egyptians that our case is fair."
The Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said on Monday that its country’s reserves of Nile water are still within the safe limits.
Earlier yesterday, Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation spokesman Mohamed El Sebaei said that the fact that Egypt was not affected by the first filling of the Renaissance Dam does not reduce the severity of the Ethiopian unilateral steps, indicating that the high dam stock was able to compensate for the shortage this time, but he warned of the danger in the dry seasons.
The spokesman stressed in statements to local media that no date has been set for the expected negotiations despite the recent African summit decision to resume them to complete some of the outstanding points, and reach a binding agreement between the three countries (Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan) regarding the rules of mobilization and operation.
The African Union urged the negotiating parties - with the support of African Union experts and observers - to act quickly to finalize the text of a binding agreement on filling and operating the dam that includes a comprehensive agreement on future developments regarding the Blue Nile (a tributary).
Egypt fears affecting its annual share of the Nile's water amounting to 55.5 billion cubic meters, and demands an agreement on files, including the safety of the dam, and the setting of rules for filling it in times of drought, while Addis Ababa says it does not aim to harm the interests of Egypt or Sudan, and that the goal of building the dam is Electricity generation and development.