Egypt's Foreign Minister Sends Letter To UN On Cairo's Position Regarding Ethiopian Dam

CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2021) Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has sent letters to the UN secretary general, heads of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly detailing Cairo's position regarding construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Ethiopia, the ministry's spokesperson stated on Tuesday.

"The foreign minister sent letters to the UN secretary general, the president of the UN Security Council and the president of the UN General Assembly, asking them to circulate them as an official document, where he explained all aspects of the dossier on the Renaissance Dam, the stages of negotiations and the latest situation," the ministry said.

According to the statement, Shoukry also held a phone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, during which he stressed the danger of Ethiopia's decision to resume filling the dam reservoir "without reaching an agreement" with Egypt and Sudan.

The dam has been under construction on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia since 2011 and is expected to become the largest dam in Africa when completed. The project has raised concerns about water security from Egypt and Sudan, however the negotiations between the three countries reached a deadlock.

A new round of disputes was triggered by Ethiopia's announcement that it plans to proceed with the second stage of filling the reservoir during this summer's rain season. On April 4, the sides met in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but no solution was agreed upon. The next meeting is expected to take place in April.

On Monday, Russia expressed its willingness to provide an expert assessment in the GERD dispute.