Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said that compromising Egypt’s national security is a red line that cannot be crossed, whoever wants or refuses.
"We are not trying to export illusions and we do not want to tickle the feelings of the people, and the Egyptians' concern about water is legitimate," Sisi said, adding, "We told Ethiopia that we are ready to cooperate with you on electricity and in a way that helps development and prosperity for your people."
Al-Sisi added that Cairo demanded Ethiopia for a legal agreement regulating water rights and the operation of the Renaissance Dam, and that the government is still moving in this direction, and pointed out that Egypt does not seek to threaten or interfere in the affairs of countries, and that what it wants is the cooperation of others.
In this context, Sisi explained that the Egyptian move in the Security Council came with the aim of placing the Renaissance Dam crisis on the agenda of the international community, calling on the "brothers" in Ethiopia and Sudan to conclude a binding legal agreement, and to stay away from the threat.
As part of the move to save water, Sisi said that his country is taking measures to save water inside, as the government has allocated 60 billion pounds for a project to lining canals in order to conserve water in preparation for the future.
Ethiopia complained of increasing harassment (Al Jazeera)
Ethiopian warning
Earlier, the Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Radwan Hussein, considered that his country is currently facing a challenge represented by increasing harassment in several files, including the Renaissance Dam, the border and the Tigray region.
Meanwhile, Sudan called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities and push for a binding agreement on the dam.
Hussein warned that his country is forced to take comprehensive measures against organizations and parties - he did not name - which he said are launching campaigns to stifle his country instead of providing assistance.
For his part, Colonel Azini Shimelis, Deputy Commander of the Military Division concerned with protecting the Renaissance Dam, said that the Ethiopian army is working to provide the necessary protection for the dam, adding that the protection includes ensuring the completion of the construction of the dam, and the completion of the second phase of its filling, in addition to preventing any force from entering the area. According to the Ethiopian News Agency.
Sudanese position
Meanwhile, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok stressed that Khartoum's presentation of the Renaissance Dam issue to the UN Security Council does not mean abandoning the African role in this issue.
This came during his meeting with the President of Côte d'Ivoire, Alassane Ouattara, in the capital, Abidjan, on the sidelines of the meetings of the International Development Agency of the World Bank, according to the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA).
After Sudanese and Egyptian efforts, the Security Council held a session on July 13 to discuss the crisis of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, during which it affirmed support for African mediation to resolve differences over the dam.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said during the Security Council session that the efforts led by the African Union on the crisis had reached a dead end.
On July 5, Ethiopia notified the downstream countries of the Nile, Egypt and Sudan, to start the process of a second filling of the dam with water, without reaching a tripartite agreement, which Cairo and Khartoum rejected as a unilateral measure.