Addis Ababa, March 10, 2023 (FBC) – The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is dismayed by the “resolution” issued by the League of Arab States on 9 March 2023 regarding the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The management and utilization of the Nile River, including the filling and operation of the GERD, must be left to the concerned parties in Africa.
“We should not have to remind the League that the Nile River and all the riparian countries are found in Africa. The League is once again serving as the spokesperson of one state, disregarding basic principles of international law. Such attempts to politicize the issue of GERD neither advance friendly relations nor support the efforts to arrive at amicable solutions, as they are not based on facts or supported by law.” The Foreign Ministry stated.
The African Union has been facilitating the trilateral negotiations among Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to resolve the remaining outstanding issues, guided by the maxim, “African Solutions to African Problems.” The League’s characterization of the negotiations is incorrect.
The fact is that Egypt with its obdurate stance to maintain a colonial era-based self-claimed water allocation and its unending attempts to internationalize the matter is the reason for the delay of the negotiation, the Ministry underscored.
“The Government of Ethiopia has been committed to the AU-led negotiations. The League’s resolutions and statements by Egypt call into question whether Egypt has been engaged in good faith in the negotiations under the AU’s auspices.”
The Government of Ethiopia reaffirmed commitment to continue to fill and operate the GERD in accordance with the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles of March 2015 signed between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan, with full respect to the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary water resources.