Ethiopia Optimistic of Immediate AU-Led GERD Talks Resumption
ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia is optimistic of a swift resumption of the African Union (AU) -led Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) talks and called on the international community to support AU in its effort of breaking deadlock on the dam. Delivering a keynote speech at webinar on Thursday Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Demeke Mekonnen said that Ethiopia’s conviction is on the principle of finding African solutions to African problems. “It has confidence in the role of the AU in facilitating the negotiations and bringing the process to a successful conclusion.”
Demeke urged the international community to support the AU led negotiation process as it would enable all the three countries to find African solution to the concept raised by the all negotiating countries. According to him, Ethiopia contributes 86 percent of water flow of the Nile and it has the right to use its natural resources to safeguard its people from the consequence of current drought, extreme water scarcity and shortage of energy.
“The benefit of the GERD is not only limited to Ethiopia, it is also beneficial to downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan). In order to build trust, Ethiopia has initiated the tripartite negotiation which is being held within the framework of the declaration of principles signed by the leaders of the three countries in March 2015,” he added.
Throughout the negotiation, Ethiopia has been consistently persuading accepted principles of equitable and reasonable utilization of its natural resources without conflict and significant harm to the downstream countries, it was learnt. Egypt and Sudan are still claiming and attempting to exert unnecessary pressure on Ethiopia through different means including the internationalization and politicization of technical issues which would only undermine trust among the three countries, Demeke pointed out.
According to him, the second-year filling of the GERD will be conducted as scheduled and agreed by the National Scientific Research Group (NISRG) of the three countries. Ethiopia is also ready to share data exchange, coordination mechanism and other related technical issues with downstream countries.
In his remarks at the meeting , the Republic of South Sudan Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Deputy Minister Deng Dau Deng said the GERD is a peace project that would benefit all in the region. With this understanding, he said the South Sudan parliament would soon ratify the Nile basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), which outlines rights and obligations for the development of the Nile Basin water resources.
The tripartite negotiation would be concluded with a mutually beneficial agreement adding he said that the riparian countries should have been part of the consultation since the river basin is a shared resource. The webinar was organized by Ethiopian embassies accredited to neighboring countries and the great lakes region jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
By Ethiopian Herald.
