On Thursday, Russia stressed the need to reach a solution to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) conflict through tripartite negotiations under the auspices of the African Union.
The Russian Foreign Ministry added, in a statement: “We are following the situation regarding the Renaissance Dam, and we understand the importance of the matter for Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.”
Earlier this week, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed congratulated his people on the completion of the second filling of the Renaissance Dam reservoir.
Ahmed published new pictures of the dam on Twitter, after the second filling was complete.
Cairo and Khartoum strongly objected the second filling in the absence of a binding legal agreement between the three countries, who have been negotiating the issue for years.
Addis Ababa carried out the first filling of GERD in July 2020, according to what Ahmed’s office announced at the time.
In a speech on Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed that Egypt will not allow its share of the Nile waters to be compromised, stressing that Cairo is ready to cooperate with the Ethiopian side on the condition that its water interests are guaranteed.
Moreover, the Sudanese government has renewed its firm position by rejecting Ethiopia’s unilateral measures and fait accompli policies and ignoring the legitimate interests and serious concerns of its river partners.
