Water ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will resume next Monday three-party negotiations on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalines agreed on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, to resume negotiations after an eight-month suspension.
The results of the meeting raised a wave of optimism as a joint statement between both countries stated explicitly Addis Ababa's commitment to avoiding any potential harm from the Renaissance Dam to Egypt's use of its water, beside the resumption of three-party negotiations on the crisis.
The two sides agreed to form a higher committee under their supervision to address all aspects of bilateral relations including regional political, economic, social and security relations.
An official source at the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation said the ministry aims in this new phase promote the good neighborly relations and resolve differences through dialogue and friendly interactions with their African neighbors and the Nile Basin countries, while ensuring at the same time Egypt's historical right to the Nile River water.
Egypt will help its African brothers with its technical expertise in coordination with the donor countries, the source added.
The joint statement between the two countries included points that could be a key to solve the crisis, such as the point about water losses, Egypt's water use, respect for international law and Egypt's respect for Ethiopia's development aspirations, the source added.
The source also said that negotiations would not be easy, could take time and require several meetings, in addition to political will and good faith by all parties.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
