US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, stressed that the US is committed to maintaining Egypt’s water security and supporting Egypt’s endeavors to settle the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis.
Hammer met with high-ranking Egyptian government officials on July 25 to discuss diplomatic efforts to settle the GERD crisis.
“I came to Cairo on my first official trip to the region to hear from our Egyptian partners on the critical issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and to better understand Egypt’s water needs,” Hammer said, adding the US is actively engaged in “supporting a diplomatic way forward under the African Union’s auspices that arrive at an agreement that provides for the long-term needs of every citizen along the Nile.”
During their recent meeting, US President Joe Biden reiterated to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the US’ support for Egypt’s water security, and its keenness to formulate a diplomatic resolution that achieves the interests of all parties and contributes to the establishment of a more peaceful and prosperous region.
Hammer’s visit to Cairo, which came a few days after the meeting between Biden and Sisi.
At the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters, Hammer met with a joint team of authorities responsible for the GERD negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan, and met with MP Karim Darwish, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the House of Representatives.
Over the past four decades, the US has provided more than US$3.5 billion to enhance Egypt’s water security by providing clean water to a quarter of Egypt’s population, developing water treatment services in Cairo and Alexandria, modernizing the power plant at the Aswan Dam, and building water infrastructure for North Sinai residents.
During the meetings, US Chargé d’Affairs in Cairo, Nicole Champagne, delivered an invitation from the White House to Sisi to attend the US-Africa Leaders Summit that is scheduled to take place from December 13-15, 2022.
