Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Gili, during his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, called for the re-launch of the Renaissance Dam negotiations, while Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Mahdi began an African tour to mobilize support for Khartoum's position on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Al-Sisi is on a hour-long visit to Djibouti, the first for an Egyptian president to visit this country since his independence in 1977.
Sources told Al-Jazeera that the visit will discuss Arab and African issues, including the Palestinian issue, security in the Red Sea, developments in the Renaissance Dam, as well as conflicts in the Horn of Africa.
The Egyptian Presidency confirmed that the two sides agreed to intensify bilateral meetings between the two countries ’senior officials, for vigorous and mutual coordination on the most prominent issues on the regional arena, especially in the regions of East Africa and the Horn of Africa.
The presidency added - in a statement - that it was agreed on the importance of reaching a fair and balanced legal agreement regarding filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, in a manner that preserves regional stability.
Since 1977 the two countries have had diplomatic relations, but they have been tepid for decades.
However, Egypt has finally sought to strengthen these relations, as part of its efforts to maintain its water security, in light of a dispute with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, the main tributary of the Nile River.
Djibouti is located on the western shore of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is the vital artery and the main entrance to the Egyptian Suez Canal. It is bordered on the west and south by Ethiopia, and on the north by Eritrea, while it overlooks the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east.
Due to the importance of its geographical location, Egyptian observers see the need for their country to establish a military base in Djibouti, to protect Cairo's water and security interests.
There are foreign military bases in Djibouti for the United States, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Sudanese moves
In a related context, Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Mahdi began today, Thursday, a visit to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, as part of a tour that includes 4 African countries and aims to mobilize support for Khartoum's position on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said, in a statement, that "the minister went to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, to head a diplomatic, legal and technical delegation."
She added that this tour comes within Sudan's keenness to intensify communication with African leaders, to present its position based on legal references, and to support the current efforts of the African Union in the Renaissance Dam negotiations between the three parties (Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia).
During her tour, the Sudanese minister will meet, according to the statement, the heads of Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and Niger, to discuss the Renaissance Dam file and issues of common concern.
In early May, Maryam Al-Mahdi began an African tour that included Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and also sought to explain Sudan's position on the dam.
On Tuesday, the chief Sudanese negotiator in the dam file, Mustafa Hussein Al-Zubair, announced during a press conference that Ethiopia had already begun the second filling of the dam.
Ethiopia insists on a second filling of the dam, which is believed to be in July and August next, about a year after the first filling, even if it does not reach an agreement with the parties concerned.
Meanwhile, Sudan and Egypt adhere to first reaching a tripartite agreement, to preserve their water facilities, and to ensure the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile water.