Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel Aaty, met, on Tuesday, with Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Giampaolo Cantini, to discuss boosting bilateral cooperation in the water sector.
The meeting also touched on the latest developments regarding the negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Abdel Aaty stressed Egypt’s clear desire to complete the negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement that preserves the country’s water rights and benefits all related parties.
He also emphasised the necessity of reaching a legally binding agreement on the GERD.
During the meeting, Abdel Atay and Cantini reviewed the progress of the training initiative, funded by Italy, in Egypt under the title “Water Knowledge”.
It aims to build the administrative and technical capacities of those in charge of water management in Egypt and the Nile Basin countries.
The meeting also showcased the progress of the current European Union-funded project for rehabilitation and development of irrigation infrastructure in Fayoum and Minya governorates, in cooperation with the National Water Research Center (NWRC). The total cost of the project reaches €6m.
Abdel-Aty also briefed Cantini on Egypt’s efforts to modernise its training infrastructure for water resources and irrigation to accept African trainees. He noted that the ministry is ready to organise a training course for different African countries ahead of the fourth edition of the Cairo Water Week scheduled for October 2021.
