- We are also prepared to enter agreement with Sudan and Egypt before second dam filling begins, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
BY ADDISALEM MULAT
This past Tuesday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed appeared before the lawmakers to respond to various questions posed by the MPs concerning the law enforcement operation in Tigray, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam(GERD) and tripartite talks, the upcoming elections, Ethio-Sudan border tension, ten-year economic plan, and other current affairs.
The MPs have raised multiple questions to Prime Minister Abiy expressing concern on the security threats unfolding in the Ethio-Sudan border area.
The lawmakers have also sought more detail from the premier on Sudan’s hawkish moves and the recent joint military drill between Khartoum and Cairo and the possible threat it poses to Ethiopia.
The MPs also asked
the prime minister to give the Ethiopian people more explanation on the
circumstances surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the stalement
facing the tripartite talks between Ethiopia and the two downstream nations.
As attested by the MPs, Ethiopia’s current two major foreign policy challenges are Ethio-Sudan border tension and the deadlock in the GERD talks that is pushing the countries into unchartered territories. These issues have become the talk of the towns where Ethiopians are curious to know more about.
Here follows the premier’s response about the Ethio-Sudan border dispute, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and tripartite talks, and other related aspects. Some of the statements are directly adopted from the social media account of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The premier said regarding the boarder tension between the two countries, “Nobody denies the fact that Sudan is a brotherly country. Among other things, the people of Sudan have stood by the side of the people of Ethiopia during tough times. Speaking of which, we do not want war with Sudan in view of the fact that we learned lessons from the war we had with Eritrea.
As for the situation with Sudan, the people continue to respect and love Ethiopians. We need to learn from our past with Eritrea, we will not go to war to result in an endless mess. The problem is not something that occurred these days, it has lasted for decades.
The negotiations held last year under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister has stalled due to pressing issues. Both countries can build diplomatic relations with many countries, however they cannot be enemies. We will continue our efforts to resolve things through dialogue and diplomacy.
In the existing situation, Sudan does not want war with Ethiopia. By the same token, Ethiopia does not want to get itself involved in a war with Sudan too because the country faces many problems.
As war is not necessary to both of us, we should make an effort to get to the bottom of the problem through dialogue in an atmosphere of calm. We have almost started and it will be resolved soon. The boundary problem of the two nations harkens back to 1902.
In time past, an agreement was made between Emperor Menelik and some representatives of the British Colonial Power. Thereafter, during Emperor Haile Selassie’s regime, a little progress was made in principle.
Be that as it may, our farmers have been displaced; their harvest and houses have been burned down. We have been suffering from misery. We do not want war. Let us solve the problem through dialogue seeing that war is not important.
Some people claim that Sudan has established rapport with a wide variety of countries. But Sudan cannot be an enemy of Ethiopia. By the way, the word Sudan in the Arabic language and the word Ethiopia in the Greek language are one and the same. They are one people. One cannot identify the two nations’ people. We can as well be friends with others. We are spliced in many things.
The Premier said regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) it is full of problems. To make the stance of Ethiopia clearer, Ethiopia does not have the intention of harming Egypt and Sudan, but we would like to utilize the Nile water without harming the two nations. We do not want to live in a blackout.
We are facing opposition from filling the GERD during rainy season. The water flowing out of the Abay River never stops flowing. Our plan is to develop ourselves and benefit neighbors.
Despite the various challenges GERD is faced with, it will be completed as we promised. If we wait until negotiations are finalized to fill the dam, the rainy season will pass and our country will lose 1 billion dollars a year.
We are certain to fill the dam without causing harm to our neighbors. We would like our Egyptian and Sudanese brothers and sisters to see that our intentions are not to harm them.
When we build the GERD we do not have the intention of harming anyone. It will be better to invest in energy together. We have the potential. We would like to grow together. Despite the GERD is full of challenges, it will see the day of light.
We are ready to partake in any deal before we start the water impoundment. When we begin the water impoundment, we will not do it in a way that harms other nations. We are very sure against this background.
The Ethiopian Herald March 25/2021
