Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said on Saturday that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will store enough water from the Nile River as the best guarantee for everyone in difficult droughts, repeating previous pledges that his country does not intend to harm Nile Basin countries, including Egypt.
Ahmed said in a statement issued at the end of a visit to Egypt during which he participated in a regional summit on Sudan that Ethiopia and Egypt are working together to achieve sustainable development and establish a real partnership.
He added that the development needs in upstream and downstream countries are multiplying, which calls for cooperation between Egypt and Ethiopia, stressing once again that his country does not intend to harm the Nile Basin countries through the frequent filling of the GERD reservoir located on the Blue Crescent.
The Ethiopian Prime Minister also said that his country shares the Nile with downstream countries in a spirit of trust and honesty, adding that this commitment has been strengthened more than ever.
Filling rules
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed on Thursday to start urgent negotiations to reach an agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan within 4 months on the rules for filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
The Egyptian presidency said that Abiy Ahmed confirmed - during his meeting with Sisi - that his country is committed during the next filling of the dam not to cause serious damage to Egypt and Sudan, as well as to provide the water needs of both countries.
Last month, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen announced that the GERD was now approaching the fourth mobilization, noting that the previous three mobilizations had not harmed downstream countries, nor would the fourth mobilization.