ADDIS ABABA-Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have agreed to continue the trilateral talks on the Abbay Dam in October 2023 in Cairo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) disclosed.
Ethiopia hosted the second round of the trilateral talks on Abbay Dam’s water filing and discharge regulations and guidelines on September 23–24, 2023. The three countries exchanged constructive ideas on various outstanding issues with a view to bridge differences.
With the conviction of accomplishing the task entrusted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed(PhD) and President Abdel Fatah el- Sisi and preserving the positive spirit among the parties, Ethiopia has negotiated in good faith throughout the second round of talks, MoFA added.
Also, the three countries were able to make progress on identifying issues of possible convergence and they further agreed to continue the talks in October 2023 in Cairo, Egypt.
According to MoFA, the Egyptian side has pushed a position that undermines the Agreement on the Declaration of Principles (DoP) of 2015. “It is regrettable that Egypt’s continued insistence on maintaining an exclusionary colonial-era-based treaty, monopolistic utilization, and self-claimed “water quota” have prevented substantive progress in the negotiation.”
Ethiopia maintains that the objective of the current trilateral talks is to finalize the guidelines and rules on the first filling and annual operation of the Abbay Dam. The country also wants the talks to ensure its rights and accommodate the legitimate concerns of Nile lower riparian states.
“It is vital to stress that Ethiopia is keenly engaging in trilateral negotiations to ensure the interests of the present and future generations over the utilization of the Nile River. Ethiopia will continue its engagement to reach a win-win outcome through the ongoing trilateral process,” the ministry remarked.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s Chief Negotiator on the Abbay Dam, Seleshi Bekele (PhD-Eng.) stated that the three countries exchanged constructive ideas on various outstanding issues in the second-round meeting here in Addis Ababa.
Seleshi, who is also Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the U.S., further noted that the country will work tirelessly to narrow differences in the construction of the mega dam. On April 10, 2023, Ethiopia completed the successful completion of the fourth filling of Abbay Dam.
Abbay Dam is Africa’s largest hydropower plant and it is expected to serve as an engine of Ethiopia’s industrialization process. Ethiopia has repeatedly stated that the dam under construction is meant to benefit all the stakeholders and integrate the region.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2023
