Ethiopia is committed to its right to fair use of the Nile waters, and is also confident in addressing any differences through consultations in the Egyptian-Sudanese-Ethiopian Tripartite Technical Committee, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said.
Andargachew added that his country took advantage of the meeting hosted by the United States on Wednesday on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) to showcase its firm position on the Nile waters fair use.
He said the meeting was “useful in removing confusion and reflects Ethiopia’s constructive attitude towards Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam.”
The Ethiopian minister held a press conference in Washington on Thursday, after the end of the meeting, which was attended by the US Secretary of State and the president of the World Bank Group.
Andargachew stressed that his country is building the dam not to harm others but to save energy, pointing out that 70 million Ethiopians live without electricity.
He added that Ethiopia attaches great importance to the trilateral technical discussions and is confident that any differences will be addressed.
US President Donald Trump also expressed his desire to attend the opening ceremony once the dam is completed, Andargachew noted.
The Ethiopian News Agency pointed to the completion of more than 68 percent of the dam and that the turbines, which could start to produce electricity next year, are about to finish.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
