Fourth round of trilateral negotiation on GERD underway in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa, December 18, 2023 (FBC) – The 4th round of trilateral negotiation among Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) kicked off today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The recent negotiations are being conducted following the Joint Statement by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia and President Abdel Fatah el Sisi of Egypt on 13 July 2023, to initiate expedited negotiation to finalize the guidelines and rules on the first filling and annual operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Head of Ethiopian negotiating team, Ambassador Seleshi Bekele said via a post on his social media page.

Ambassador Seleshi indicated that the Ministerial meeting will build on the discussions of the previous sessions and technical group meeting of yesterday and continue efforts to achieve convergence.

He reiterated that Ethiopia is guided by the 2015 Declaration of Principles (DoP) on the GERD Project.

In particular, Ethiopia will continue to advocate for consensual outcomes based on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of the waters of the Nile, Amb. Seleshi underlined.