The Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources, Mohamed Abdel-Ati said Friday that Egypt will not accept any unilateral decision to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt remains eager to continue negotiations on GERD, he assured, in order to reach a just and binding legal agreement which satisfies the desires of all parties involved. Abdel-Ati reviewed the developments of the Nile water issue and the current position regarding the GERD, stressing Egypt’s desire to preserve its water rights. Egypt and Sudan fear the impact of the dam on the downstream countries, including possible blows to water facilities, agricultural land, and overall availability of Nile water. Ethiopia officially informed Egypt on July 5 that it had started the second filling of GERD reservoir, a move that was unilaterally rejected by Egypt.

Source: Egypt Independent July 17, 2021 12:45 UTC