Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday that 80% of the mega Nile Dam has been completed, and that work on the project will conclude soon, according to Al-Arabiya TV.
The Ethiopian foreign ministry also said that “Khartoum’s position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) serves a third party, not the Sudanese, and that reaching a solution with Sudan will only happen when there is a stable government,” adding that “Ethiopian forces have never invaded Sudanese territory.”
Ethiopia also added that it does not want to harm Egypt or Sudan with the GERD.
However, the ministry renewed its accusation against Egypt and Sudan of supporting the Tigray Front.
Ethiopian Ambassador to Khartoum Yeptal Amiru said that there are positive developments between his country and Sudan concerning the GERD and border disputes, according to the Russian news agency Sputnik on Wednesday.
Furthermore, a statement by the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated on Wednesday that Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs-Designate Ali Al-Sadiq met today with Amiru to discuss several files.
The Sudanese foreign minister congratulated the Ethiopian official on restoring security in his country, adding that “whatever differences may occur, direct communication channels should not stop.”
The statement also said that the Ethiopian ambassador confirmed that “there are a number of positive developments between the two countries regarding controversial issues such as the GERD and the border dispute in light of the visit of the Vice President of the Sovereign Council to Addis Ababa recently and his meeting with a number of Ethiopian officials.”
He added that relations with Sudan remain strategic and exceptional, pointing to “his country’s readiness to discuss all issues away from media escalation through dialogue and positive communication.”
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met with his Djiboutian counterpart, Ismail Omar Guelleh, last Monday and discussed the GERD, emphasising Egypt’s political will and desire to reach a legally binding agreement on filling and operating the dam within a reasonable time frame that enhances regional security and stability based on the rules of international law and security council resolutions.
