No substantial progress achieved on Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Egypt

No substantial progress has been achieved during the latest round of negotiations held over the weekend between Egypt and Sudan on the one hand and Ethiopia on the other in Addis Ababa about the long contentious Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

"Ethiopia has retracted some prior understandings that had been reached between the three countries during the negotiation process," said Egypt's Ministry of Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources in a statement on Sunday evening, 25 September.

The three African countries held the second leg of the recently revived trilateral negotiations about the GERD on Saturday and Sunday, almost two weeks after Ethiopia officially unveiled that it had already finalised the fourth and final filling of the dam reservoir against the will of the governments of both Sudan and Egypt.

Talks recently resumed after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced earlier in July their intention to reach an agreement on the GERD operation within the following four months. 

The three parties began the first round of trilateral talks earlier in Cairo from 27 - 28 August. But despite prior commitments, Ethiopia reportedly refused to sign a key agreement during the discussions.

"Ethiopia showed a tendency to retract on several agreements previously concluded between the three states during the negotiations," said Mohamed Ghanim, Egyptian Ministry of Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources, in Sunday's statement.

Ghanim added that Egypt's primary goal had been to reach an accord that regulates the filling and operation of the dam to secure the country's national interests and protect its water security while maintaining the interests of the three countries in the process.

Egypt is known for heavily depending on the Nile River for its agricultural and drinking water supply, with around 85 per cent of the river's flow originating from Ethiopia.

Egypt often has expressed concerns over the GERD's operation without considering its requirements, calling it an "existential threat" to the country's national security.