Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with his Ethiopian and Algerian counterparts on the sidelines of the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) held on 17-18 November in Addis Ababa.
Madbouly discussed with the Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed a number of international and regional issues of common interests, as well as bolstering bilateral relation.
He delivered Ahmed a written message from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on enhancing partnership between the two countries.
Both parties discussed the resumption of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) talks based on the Declaration of Principles agreement signed by Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia in 2015, along with international laws.
Egypt fears that building the dam on the Nile River will affect its water share. Several meetings have been held since Ethiopia started building the dam in an attempt to resolve the issue, but they have so far produced scant results.
Madbouly also met with the Algerian PM Ahmed Ouyahia. Both officials discussed enhancing cooperation in various fields and increasing investments. Madbouly noted that Egyptian investments in Algeria amounted to $6.3m.
Madbouly participated in the AU 11th Extraordinary Session on behalf of President Al-Sisi.
Around 45 African leaders participated in the AU session. They addressed reforming the AU Commission to meet the demands of the AU’s 55 member states.
The leaders discussed the status of implementation of the AU 2063 Agenda, which will acts “a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years,” according to the AU official website.
The AU 2063 Agenda aims at “an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa, led by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the international arena.”
In January, Egypt was elected by African leaders to chair the AU 31st session in 2019. The African leaders voted for Cairo during an AU session in Addis Ababa.
