ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopian diplomats need to aggressively work than before to upturn the wrong image on GERD that Egyptians made a point to create for long years , said scholars.
As Associate Professor Daniel Mekon¬nen, researcher and political science lec¬turer at Wolkite University told EPA, Egypt has been concocting and disseminating un¬founded and false information for the world community. Egyptians have been trying to demonize GERD.They have been busy tell¬ing lies that as the water is their exclusive right they must domineer over the river.
Furthermore, they tout through their Medias and diplomats that Ethiopia, which gives more than 86 percent of the Nile wa¬ter, must be brushed aside from the boons of the river. Because of this they try to per¬suade many into thinking that if others use the water Egyptian will be victimized.
As to him, the dam is the one and the least of projects Ethiopian should bring on their river. And proving Egyptians on the global arena should be one of the tasks Ethi¬opian diplomats and others should do on the GGERD project. And they need to inform the world that the dam is the issue of Ethio¬pians’ life and generation down the road.
Not only diplomatic movements Ethio¬pia also need to use as a wedge international media outlets for this issue, he added.
Dr. Abdu Mohamed Ali, History and In¬ternational Relation’s Associate Professor at Dilla University and researcher on Nile Politics said on his part that the enthusiasm of Ethiopians to see the completion of the project is very high. Yet a lot is to be desired on the Ethiopian side to drive home abroad truth is on Ethiopia’s side.
Ethiopians action in double assuring the country’s intent is to use the water in a win-win spirit is lacking. It has to make clear that its use of the water is not to hurt Egypt. Ethiopian media and diplomats do not work enough to inform African, Arabi¬an and others about the GERD. So they are expected to be more forthcoming now to do more through modern diplomatic ways, as to him.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 7 / 2020
BY GENET FEKADE
