Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalines revealed that the Declaration of Principles for the Renaissance Dam signed in 2015 stipulated that the first filling of the dam will be in parallel with construction, and that Egypt concluded the agreement and knows that.
Dessalines said in an interview with Al-Jazeera broadcast later that the agreement was the first cooperative framework that brought together countries east of the Nile Basin, especially with a historical crisis of trust between Egypt and Ethiopia.
He added that there were no agreements between the downstream and upstream countries, but after the dam became a reality, and divergences of opinions began to surface, it was necessary to reach understandings, especially with the presence of a historical crisis of confidence between Egypt and Ethiopia.
He explained that from this standpoint, the initiative of the Declaration of Principles, which was signed and the Renaissance Dam, was in the construction phase, noting that the agreement confirmed that the first filling of the dam will be in parallel with construction.
Amazing images taken today (28/7) as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam spillway flows. That's a lot of water! 📸 @Maxar #GERD pic.twitter.com/9obbGEN4X1
- Benjamin Strick (@BenDoBrown) July 28, 2020
new pictures
In the context, new satellite imagery showed a significant influx of water into the Renaissance Dam.
The pictures were taken on Tuesday by British journalist and specialist in investigative journalism, Benjamin Strike, who published it.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that his country is negotiating the Renaissance Dam, considering 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.
On the other hand, the African Union urged the parties to negotiate to work quickly to finalize the text of a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam, which includes a comprehensive agreement on future developments regarding the Blue Nile River (a tributary).