Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have Thursday agreed to engage in immediate negotiations to finalise an agreement between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan regarding the filling and operational regulations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
In a joint statement, the leaders expressed their commitment to expediting the agreement within a timeframe of four months.
Tensions have arisen between Egypt and Ethiopia, neighbouring Sudan, due to disagreements over the construction of the large hydroelectric dam situated on the Blue Nile, near the Sudanese border.
Sudan and Egypt want Ethiopia to enter a legally binding agreement on the operation of the $5 billion dam, built on the Blue Nile – the river’s main tributary – about 20km from the border with Sudan.
However, Ethiopia insists that recommendations, rather than a binding agreement, should suffice. It has occasionally accused Egypt of meddling in its internal affairs or seeking to destabilise it. It has also sought to reassure Egypt and Sudan that no harm would come to them as a result of the dam