Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy said Egypt is not hostile to Ethiopia. “We want to cooperate on the Nile water issue,” he said, stressing that all Nile Basin countries can only achieve their objectives by cooperating with each other.
Fahmy also said that he explains Egypt’s viewpoint in this regard on all his tours. “We will not reach solutions by attacking each other but by affirming Egypt’s rights and efforts to find cooperative solutions between all,” he said.
When asked about possibly acquiring water from the Congo River, Fahmy said this would depend on the cost.
Relations between Egypt and Ethiopia have been strained since Ethiopia began dam building projects to generate electricity, causing Egypt to fear the projects' affect on its Nile water quota and to demand joint studies of the issue.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
