Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Saturday that rumors that Ethiopia will sell water to Egypt and Sudan is inconsistent with the rules of international law. According to the rumors, the the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia had dissolved Egypt’s water rights to the waters of the Nile River. Shoukry clarified that the agreement rather preserved Egypt’s water rights and set the legal framework that negotiations around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) rely on now. Moreover, the minister accused Ethiopia of obstructing efforts to reach an agreement on GERD, saying that there is no real political will in Addis Ababa. Egypt meets about 90 percent of its water needs through the Nile river, with an annual quota of 55.5 billion cubic meters of water.

Source: Egypt Independent June 14, 2021 12:36 UTC