Ethiopia confirmed that it is ready to protect the Renaissance Dam from any aggression, while Egypt renewed its warning that any filling of the dam without reaching a fair agreement with the downstream countries is unacceptable. Sudan also condemned what it described as Addis Ababa’s intransigence regarding the crisis.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Ethiopian Air Force, General Yilma Merdasa, said that his country’s army is ready to protect and guard the Renaissance Dam from any aggression, noting that the air force is more ready than ever to protect the country’s sovereignty and comprehensively guard the dam.
General Merdasa stressed – at a military ceremony for the Air Force – that the structural reforms of the Air Force contributed to building strong forces capable of doing their mission well.
In
disapproved verb
On the other hand, the Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, said that any action taken regarding the Renaissance Dam without reaching a fair and binding legal agreement, and without coordination with the downstream countries; It is a singular verb.
During a dialogue meeting with conservative representatives and the coordination of youth parties and politicians, Abdel-Aty affirmed Egypt’s keenness to complete the negotiations, and its adherence to its constants in preserving its water rights and achieving the benefit of all in any agreement regarding the Renaissance Dam.
In turn, the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi, warned – in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – of what she called Ethiopia’s intransigence regarding the Renaissance Dam, and said that it might drag the region into pitfalls with ominous consequences.
And Maryam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi confirmed – in a meeting with Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita via video technology – that Sudan seeks to resolve differences over the dam peacefully through the mediation of the African Union.
difficult stage
Commenting on these developments, a member of the Ethiopian delegation to the Renaissance Dam negotiations, Yacoub Arsano, said that Ethiopia is going through a difficult stage in the negotiations, but there is no force that can change the positions of Addis Ababa.
Arsano added – during a discussion at Debre Burhan University in the Amhara region about the Renaissance Dam – that Ethiopia is keen on regional ties, but it also maintains its national interests in all sectors.
He accused Egypt of interfering in his country’s affairs and trying to force it to sign a “bitter” agreement, as he put it, stressing that Ethiopia will not ask permission from any party when it comes to promoting its development.
Ethiopia insists on a second filling of the dam, which is believed to be in the next July and August, about a year after the first filling, even if it has not reached an agreement.
While Sudan and Egypt adhere to first reaching a tripartite agreement, to preserve their water facilities, and to ensure the continued flow of their annual share of the Nile waters.