Addis Ababa, May 11, 2021 (FBC) – In the biweekly press briefing, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dina Mufti briefed local and international media on latest developments in Ethiopia regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute and upcoming general elections, among others.
Regarding GERD, the spokesperson said the construction and filling of the dam will be held according to the schedule.
Ambassador Dina said Ethiopia is committed to utilize the Nile water resources fairly and equitably while causing no significant harm to downstream states
Ethiopia is committed to applying the motto of “African solutions to African problems,” for the GERD negotiations, he added.
The spokesperson underscored that Sudan and Egypt are unnecessarily internationalizing the GERD issue, he said reiterating Ehtiopia’s commitement to peaceful solution.
Ethiopia had to make some concessions to ensure the negotiations turn out successful, such as the willingness to exchange data and widen the role of observers so that they can offer their opinions and separately consult the negotiating parties, Ambassador Dina noted.
Concerning the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute, he said that the belligerent act of the Sudanese troops compromised the wellbeing of Ethiopians and it is contrary to the fraternal relationship that exists between the people of the two countries.
Existing border conflict resolution mechanisms, including the works of various joint border committees could have solved the problem peacefully, he underlined, adding that Ethiopia is ready to solve the problem amicably
The Sudanese stance over the GERD and the border issue does not represent the interests of the people of Sudan but a third party’s motif, he stressed.
On the upcoming general election, the Spokesperson said that the electoral process is well underway with a surge in voter turnouts.
Observers from international and domestic institutions are finalizing their preparations to undertake their responsibilities, he added.
Although the EU has announced the cancellation of its plan to deploy election observers, it has decided to send experts’ mission and Election observers are expected to follow guidelines to carry out their duties as laid out by proper institutions in Ethiopia, the Ambassador stated.