Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Friday that his country "does not intend" to harm Sudan and Egypt with the Renaissance Dam project, on the occasion of the annual meeting of world leaders at the United Nations.
In his speech to the organization, Abi Ahmed said in a video statement that was previously recorded due to the repercussions of the Corona virus, "I would like to make it clear that we do not intend to harm these two countries."
Abi Ahmed - a Nobel Peace Prize winner - said the project aims to preserve water resources "that may evaporate downstream in the downstream countries."
"What we are doing basically is that our electricity resources are produced from the cleanest sources of energy, and we also cannot afford to keep about 65 million of our people in the dark," he added.
One of the waterfalls on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia (Reuters)
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan failed to conclude an agreement to operate the dam before Ethiopia began filling its reservoir last July, and the three countries returned to mediation led by the African Union.
Ethiopia says the dam - which costs $ 4 billion - will generate electricity and help lift its 109 million people out of poverty.
Upon completion, the dam will generate 6,450 megawatts of electricity - more than twice Ethiopia's current capacity - and is the cornerstone of the country's bid to become the largest energy source in Africa.
But Egypt depends on the Nile for more than 90% of its fresh water supplies, and it fears that the dams will increase the current shortage.
Negotiations were stalled in the past due to Egypt and Sudan's demands that any agreement be legally binding with regard to the mechanism for resolving future disputes and how to manage the dam during periods of low rainfall or drought.