Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazy has announced that Pope Tawadros II will discuss the Egyptian people's concerns about the Renaissance Dam with the leaders of the Ethiopian Church when he participates in the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Ethiopia on September 27.
Moghazy added in a press statement on Wednesday that the church supports President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the government's efforts to resolve the Renaissance Dam dispute and build confidence between the two countries.
The minister and the pope signed a protocol for an awareness campaign to save the Nile from encroachment and pollution. “We Egyptians love the Nile. That is why we live near it, on 6 percent of Egypt’s total area,” Moghazy said, adding that the church will advise congregations to protect the river.
For his part, Pope Tawadros said that Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, is helping Egypt in this regard, given the historic relationship between the two churches.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
