By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
    BusinessShow More
    HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
    HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
    June 4, 2023
    Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
    Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
    June 4, 2023
    146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
    146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
    June 4, 2023
    Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
    Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
    June 4, 2023
    Beltone Leasing signs EGP 500m sale-and-leaseback agreement With Hassan Allam Properties
    Beltone Leasing signs EGP 500m sale-and-leaseback agreement With Hassan Allam Properties
    June 4, 2023
  • Politics
    PoliticsShow More
    Iranian, Saudi FMs meet on bilateral ties
    Iranian, Saudi FMs meet on bilateral ties
    June 4, 2023
    Egypt’s PM inspects service, development projects in Alexandria
    Egypt’s PM inspects service, development projects in Alexandria
    June 4, 2023
    FM Shoukry attends inauguration ceremony of Turkish President
    FM Shoukry attends inauguration ceremony of Turkish President
    June 3, 2023
    1 Egyptian security personnel, 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in border shooting
    1 Egyptian security personnel, 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in border shooting 
    June 3, 2023
    India train crash kills at least 207, injures hundreds 
    India train crash kills at least 207, injures hundreds 
    June 3, 2023
  • Interviews
    InterviewsShow More
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    EFG Finance to launch unified platform gathering all its financing services: Alaa Al-Afifi
    May 31, 2023
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    I changed my artistic path to create ‘state of wonder’: Tarek Lotfi
    May 25, 2023
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    I adore Ramadan drama, ‘Telt Al-Talata’ series achieved great success: Ghada Abdel Razek
    May 8, 2023
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    We aim to establish Egypt as nearshore centre for Software AG for MET region: Rami Kichli
    April 29, 2023
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    Egypt-Spain relations witness remarkable development in recent years: Spanish ambassador in Cairo
    April 18, 2023
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Reading: Solution has not been reached in dam talks: Egyptian, Ethiopian water ministries
Share
Notification
Latest News
HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
Banking
Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
Banking
146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
Banking
Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
Business
Beltone Leasing signs EGP 500m sale-and-leaseback agreement With Hassan Allam Properties
Beltone Leasing signs EGP 500m sale-and-leaseback agreement With Hassan Allam Properties
Business
Aa
Aa
DailynewsegyptDailynewsegypt
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.
Dailynewsegypt > Blog > Egypt > Solution has not been reached in dam talks: Egyptian, Ethiopian water ministries
EgyptPolitics

Solution has not been reached in dam talks: Egyptian, Ethiopian water ministries

Hend Kortam
Last updated: 2014/02/11 at 3:31 PM
By Hend Kortam 6 Min Read
Share
A picture taken on May 28, 2013 shows the Blue Nile River in Guba, Ethiopia, during its diversion ceremony (AFP/File, William Lloyd-George)
SHARE
A picture taken on May 28, 2013 shows the Blue Nile in Guba, Ethiopia, during its diversion ceremony.  (AFP Photo)
A picture taken on May 28, 2013 shows the Blue Nile in Guba, Ethiopia, during its diversion ceremony.
(AFP Photo)

The Egyptian delegation to Ethiopia, headed by the water minister, returned from Ethiopia Tuesday after it failed to resolve “sticking points” following talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdul Muttalib resumed talks in the Ethiopian capital on Monday. The Egyptian water ministry said that Abdul Muttalib accepted an invitation to hold talks from his Ethiopian counterpart Alemayehu Tegunu; however, Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said “Minister Muttalib asked to visit Ethiopia.”

Egypt’s water ministry said after the meeting that “all suggestions by the Egyptian delegation to solve sticking points were met with unjustified rejection, reaching the level of obstinacy.”

The ministry continued in its statement that this proves that the Ethiopian side did not look at the current problem with sufficient “attention and seriousness”.

Ethiopia, on the other hand, said the talks “made no progress” because of a difference in opinion regarding the involvement of international experts in a proposed committee to oversee implementing recommendations of a report written by the International Panel of Experts in 2013.

Ethiopia’s foreign ministry said: “Egypt wants to include international experts on this committee. Ethiopia and Sudan have made it clear they see no need for anything more than representatives from the three countries on the proposed committee.”

The international element of the proposed committee was a point of lengthy debate, Abdul Muttalib said during talks in the Sudanese capital Khartoum in December. There was a series of tripartite talks between the Nile Basin countries in November, December and January.

Egypt’s Supreme Committee for Nile Water asserted one day ahead of the talks on Monday the importance of mutual benefits for the people of the Nile Basin countries, in a meeting attended by Abdul Muttalib and headed by Prime Minister Hazem El-Bebalawi.

Water ministry spokesman Khaled Wassif said after the latest round of talks on Monday that the Renaissance Dam, which is currently under construction, “lacks legitimacy” so far, since “no country has announced its approval of ongoing construction,” state-run MENA reported.

Wassif told state-run television that the meeting conflicted with Egyptian interests and that there is no reason to continue attending talks when it is clear that the intention of the Ethiopian side is to not cooperate.

Wassif added that the Egyptian government is working on more than one approach as quickly as possible and that it will resort to different paths to protect its interests peacefully.

The dam has long been a point of contention between Egypt and Ethiopia, as Egypt fears that it will have a detrimental effect on its share of Nile water. Egypt is in possession of the majority share of the Nile’s water. In accordance with agreements signed in 1929 and 1959, Egypt is guaranteed 55.5bn cubic metres of the estimated total of 84bn cubic metres of Nile water produced each year.

The construction of the dam is expected to be complete in three years. It is being built on the Blue Nile, a major tributary of the Nile; its origin is in Ethiopia and it supplies Egypt with 80% of the river’s water.

In an interview in January, the Ethiopian water minister said that Egypt was “misinformed” on some issues regarding the dam and the amount of water that would reach Egypt.

The dam’s project Director Simegnew Bekele said, also in January, that the dam would prevent annual floods in Sudan and would help prevent the accumulation of silt in dams located in Sudan and Egypt. He added that it would also prevent the evaporation of water from downstream countries, and would provide opportunities for Ethiopia to export electricity to neighbouring states.

In his latest trip to Ethiopia, Abdul Muttalib asserted Egypt’s position on the dam: it will not give up a single drop of its historic and fixed supply of the Nile River, and will, however, support Ethiopian aspirations in creating development projects, generating electricity and raising the standards of living of the Ethiopian people.

Although Egypt’s water minister “praised the atmosphere” of the December talks and said that there was a “new spirit” contributing to “achieving good results”, he added that “sticking points” remain.  The three sides did not reach an agreement in January. The Egyptian side said two points were discussed but were refused by Ethiopia, adding that unless there are new proposals, the meetings are over.  Talks in November had also failed to produce the committee.

You Might Also Like

Irrigation, Petroleum Ministers discuss joint projects to preserve water resources 

Iranian, Saudi FMs meet on bilateral ties

Egypt’s PM inspects service, development projects in Alexandria

FM Shoukry attends inauguration ceremony of Turkish President

1 Egyptian security personnel, 3 Israeli soldiers were killed in border shooting 

TAGGED: basin, Blue Nile, committee, countries, Daily News Egypt, dam, DNE, Egypt, ethiopia, GERD, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, international, News, nile, Sudan, TALKS, tripartite, water
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Previous Article Mubadala assessing options for $1.25bn bond maturity
Next Article Egypt among seven most vulnerable economies in the MENA region: World Bank
156 Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad image
Ad image

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Instagram Follow
Youtube Subscribe

Latest News

HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
HDB targets 25% growth in profits, various activities by 2023-end: CEO
Banking
Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
Bank ABC Egypt sees 158% profit growth in 1Q 2023, after merging with BLOM Bank
Banking
146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
146% growth in net profit of Attijariwafa bank Egypt reaching EGP 434.5m in 1Q 2023
Banking
Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
Al Ahly Pharos tops brokerage ranking in May
Business
//
Egypt’s only independent daily newspaper in English. Discuss the country’s latest with the paper’s reporters, editors, and other readers.

Quick Link

  • Home
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Interviews
  • Culture
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

© 2023 DNE News. All Rights Reserved.

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?