Ethiopia confirms its determination to continue filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Ethiopia has announced that it is determined to continue filling the huge Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that it is building on the Nile, despite its ongoing dispute with Egypt and Sudan.

Yesterday, the foreign ministers of the three countries concluded three days of negotiations in Kinshasa under the auspices of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, the current president of the African Union, without an agreement.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that the talks are scheduled to resume before the end of this month, and Ethiopian Water Minister Seleshi Bekele said today, Wednesday, that his country will continue filling the dam's reservoir, which has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, during the next rainy season, which is supposed to start in June or July.

The Ethiopian minister said in a press conference: "As the construction progresses, the dam will be filled, and we will not give up on it."

Addis Ababa announced in 2020 that it had completed the first phase of filling the dam, achieving its target of 4.9 billion cubic meters, which allowed the testing of the first two turbines from the dam.

This year, it set a target of filling an additional 13.5 billion cubic meters.

Earlier today, Wednesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi warned Ethiopia against compromising Egypt's share of the Nile waters, saying, "All options are open."

"I say to Ethiopia, do not touch a water point, which is our share, because all options are open to us," Al-Sisi said, while inaugurating the "smart and secure publications" complex in the Administrative Capital, east of Cairo.

He added that negotiations with Sudan about the dam are continuing, adding, "We respect the development plans in Ethiopia, but without causing harm to Egypt."

He added, "I follow public opinion and communication sites, and I see that there is concern about the water file, and frankly the people's concern is worthy and legitimate," adding: "The people have the right to worry about the water issue, and I am concerned too."

He continued: "Your concern deserves and is legitimate .. but I see everyone worried about the water and is keen on it. I worried about the water since 2011, I did not rest and I cannot rest from 2011, specifically from January 25, I knew that we will have a big strong problem."

He stressed that the Egyptian state’s position on the Renaissance Dam project was an honorable position, and the people's desire for a form of development was respected.

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