Cairo: Ethiopia has pledged that a dam it is building on the River Nile will not harm Egypt’s water share, with leaders of both African countries signalling progress in resolving a long-running row on the dam.
“The Ethiopian people believe in the importance of benefitting from the Nile without harming the Egyptian people,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy said in Cairo.
“What Ethiopia wants is to use its share of the Nile and make sure that Egyptians will get their quota. We will work to increase Egypt’s share of Nile waters,” he added at a joint press conference with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi Sunday night.
Egypt fears that the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam will negatively affect its share of the Nile, a lifeline for the country’s population of nearly 95 million people.
The 5-billion-dollar dam is expected to be completed soon to become Africa’s biggest hydroelectric facility.
Abiy, making his first visit to Egypt since becoming a premier in April, looked keen to dispel Egyptians’ worries about the impact of the project.
“Ethiopians know what fraternity means and don’t intend to harm Egyptians,” he said. “What Ethiopia wants is to forget the past and begin a new phase of affinity and cooperation.”
When asked by Al Sissi to swear to God, Abiy said in Arabic: “I swear to God we will not harm Egypt.”
In recent years, Egyptian-Ethiopian ties have deteriorated over the dam’s construction. A string of previous negotiations failed to defuse the crisis.
Al Sissi, who took office in 2014, has repeatedly ruled out military action in the dispute.
“During the past four years, I have given particular attention to promoting relations and cooperation with Ethiopia based on benefit for all without harming interests of any side,” the ex-defence minister said on Sunday.
Al Sissi described Egypt’s links with Ethiopia as strategic.
“We have gone an important way in confidence-building and consolidating bilateral cooperation. We will continue our sincere efforts to overcome any joint challenges, notably reaching a final agreement on the Renaissance Dam to guarantee Egypt’s Nile share.”
Al Sissi said that an Egyptian industrial zone will be set up in Ethiopia. Abiy, meanwhile, disclosed that the Egyptian leader agreed to release an unspecified number of Ethiopian jailed in Egypt over illegal border infiltrations.
Both leaders agreed to activate a fund designed to finance infrastructure projects in Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan—a third Nile country. Officials from the three countries are due to meet in Cairo next month in order to decide on steps to create the fund, according to Al Sissi.
Ministers of foreign affairs and water as well as intelligence chiefs of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are also due to meet in Cairo on June 18 for further talks on the Renaissance Dam dispute.
Last month, officials from the three countries decided at marathon negotiations in Addis Ababa to set up a scientific study group on the controversial issues of filling and operating the dam.
They also agreed that leaders of three countries will meet every six months to discuss joint cooperation. The agreement was seen as a breakthrough in the long-deadlocked negotiations.
Ethiopia has repeatedly denied that the dam will harm Egypt’s interests and said that the facility is necessary for its development.
