Will finalize agreement in D.C. on January 28-29
ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have achieved “important results and significant milestones” as a result of the technical discussion held in Washington, D.C. on January 13-15, 2020, tweeted yesterday Minister of Water, Irrigation and Electricity Dr. Eng. Seleshi Bekele. “The results will be translated to legal rules and guidelines,” he said.
According to a joint statement of Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, the United States and the World Bank, released on January 15, 2020, recognizing that all points are subject to a final agreement, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan and their delegations noted six major points
regarding the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The Ministers will meet again in Washington; D.C. on January 28-29 to finalize a comprehensive agreement on the filling and operation of the GERD, the statement says.
It says that there will be technical and legal discussions in the interim period.
The Ministers also acknowledged the importance of concluding an agreement with respect to trans-boundary cooperation, regional development and economic integration that can result from the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
According to the statement, the Ministers noted the progress achieved in the four technical meetings among the Ministers of Water Resources and their two prior meetings in Washington D.C. and the outcomes of those meetings and their joint commitment to reach a comprehensive, cooperative, adaptive, sustainable, and mutually beneficial agreement on the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Regarding the filling of the Dam, the statement says “will take place during the wet season, generally from July to August, and will continue in September subject to certain conditions.”
It also says that the filling goes in stages and will be in what it states as in an adaptive and cooperative manner that takes into consideration the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the potential impact of
the filling on downstream reservoirs while the initial stages will provide for the rapid achievement of a level of 595 meters above sea level (m.a.s.l.) and the early generation of electricity.
“The subsequent stages of filling will be done according to a mechanism to be agreed that determines release based upon the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that addresses the filling goals of Ethiopia and provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought,” the statement adds.
Stating the long-term operation, the statement says a mechanism will determine the release based upon “the hydrological conditions of the Blue Nile and the level of the GERD that provides electricity generation and appropriate mitigation measures for Egypt and Sudan during prolonged periods of dry years, drought and prolonged drought.
Participating the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the World Bank as observers, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt registers important results on GERD technical discussions
The Ethiopian Herald January 17/2020
BY STAFF REPORTER
