GERD meeting to commence in Washington tomorrow

Addis Ababa, February 11, 2020 (FBC) –Foreign and Water Affairs Ministers of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt will meet in Washington tomorrow to discuss on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Day (GERD).

The meeting, which is a continuation of the negotiation held on January 28-31, will be attended by the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of the World Bank as observers.

Dr. Seleshi Bekele, Ethiopia’s Minister of Water, Irrigation and Energy Tweeted “I arrived in Washington DC to review results so far by the legal and technical teams of Ethiopia negotiating with Egypt and Sudan on GERD.”

“Number of articles and issues are not yet resolved, negotiation continues tomorrow. We, the Ethiopian team, continue to work vigilantly in advancing our national interest.” he added.

Dr. Seleshi recently said at a panel that Ethiopia pursues a win-win approach to GERD negotiations as the dam is beneficial for both Ethiopia and all downstream countries.

GERD, which will be the largest hydropower project in Africa once completed, is now more than 70% complete.

Filling of the dam will start at the end of this year and will be completed within 4-7 years.

GERD is scheduled to be fully completed in 2023.