CAIRO – 14 May 2021: The US Department of State on Friday said the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) conducted under the auspices of the African Union (AU) “must resume urgently”. The state department said these concerns can be reconciled with Ethiopia’s development needs through substantive and results-oriented negotiations among the parties under the leadership of the African Union, which must resume urgently. “The United States is committed to providing political and technical support to facilitate a successful outcome” to these negotiations, the statement added. The state department reiterated its commitment to work with international partners to facilitate resolution of regional flash points, including GERD, and conflict on Sudan’s borders—so they do not undermine the fragile progress made since the Sudanese revolution. The state department said Feltman will return to the region in short order to continue an intensive diplomatic effort on behalf of President Joe Biden and Secretary Antony Blinken.
