APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopia has expressed dismay over a resolution adopted by the League of Arab States on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which is being built 25 kilometers east of neighbouring Sudan.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said the resolution echoed Egyptian “hostile rhetoric” regarding the dam.
“This resolution opposed the efforts being undertaken by the African Union (AU) and its Member States, which are working to bring an amicable negotiated resolution to the GERD matter,” the foreign ministry said.
“It also runs contrary to the cherished and shared history of the peoples of Africa and the Arab world.”
The last trilateral talks held under the auspices of the African Union (AU) failed to yield an agreement on the dam’s filling and operations.
Cairo insists that Addis Ababa should cease filling the reservoir until such a deal is reached – a position Ethiopia sees as contradictory to previously agreed principles.
In 2015, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan signed the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoPs), which states that the construction of the dam shall continue in parallel to the negotiations on the guidelines and rules on the first filling and operation of the Dam.
The details of dam filling, including the volume and duration, have also been agreed upon between the experts of the three countries.
“Throughout the process, going out of its way, Ethiopia has catered to the concerns of Egypt and Sudan,” the foreign ministry said.
“Ethiopia is and will continue to act respecting the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of the waters of the Nile,” it continued.
“Thus, the allegation that Ethiopia has taken unilateral measures is a deliberate mischaracterization.” the statement said.
According to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Cairo has repeatedly used the Arab league’s various platforms to exert pressure on Ethiopia, instead of committing to AU-led trilateral talks.
These attempts “represent its lack of good faith and violation of the agreement on the Declaration of Principles it concluded with Ethiopia and Sudan,” the foreign ministry noted.
MG/abj/APA