The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said that the second mobilization of the Renaissance Dam took place in the required quantity without harming the two downstream countries, while Addis Ababa asked Algeria to persuade Khartoum to solve the border problems amicably.
Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said, in a press conference held today, Thursday, that the second filling took place in the required quantity, which is 13.5 billion cubic meters, without harming Egypt and Sudan, but they do not want to admit that.
On the issue of the border with Sudan, the Mufti stressed that his country's position on the issue of the border with Sudan has not changed, and that the latter's attempts to impose a fait accompli on the disputed areas by building bridges and roads will not help in finding solutions.
And Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said - while receiving Rose Marie DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations for Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Missions - that his country does not oppose the establishment of the Renaissance Dam in principle, but it sticks to its position opposing Ethiopia's unilateral, ill-considered steps.
Hamdok added that Sudan is looking forward to concluding a binding legal agreement before taking any step.
Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas also said - in a press conference - that Addis Ababa's taking a new step to mobilize the Renaissance Dam will have disastrous effects.
Abbas stressed what he called Sudan's insistence on changing the negotiation methodology led by the African Union, by transforming the role of observers into mediators, with the addition of the United Nations, with the aim of ensuring the seriousness of the negotiations, as he put it.
In the same context, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen asked his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra - who is visiting Ethiopia - to play a constructive role in what he called correcting the misperceptions of the Arab League regarding the Renaissance Dam.
Maknan confirmed - in a statement - that the second phase of the initial mobilization of the Renaissance Dam took place in accordance with the Declaration of Principles signed by the three parties (Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan) in 2015, expressing his country's firm commitment to resuming the tripartite negotiations on the Renaissance Dam under the auspices of the African Union.
Mekanen also asked the Algerian minister - who will also visit Khartoum - to persuade Sudan to resolve the border problem with Ethiopia peacefully, in accordance with the existing joint mechanisms, and to refrain from the use of force, given that the problem can only be solved amicably.