Washington, DC – US President Donald Trump said, that he wants to hold a meeting between the leaders of Egypt and Ethiopia in an effort to reach an agreement to end the dispute over Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD),
which Cairo and Khartoum consider a direct and serious threat to their vital water supplies.
Trump’s remarks came during his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland,
where the two leaders discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual interest, foremost among them the Nile water issue and the Ethiopian dam crisis.
Live meeting
According to Reuters, the US president affirmed that Washington could play a role in bridging the gap between Cairo and Addis Ababa,
expressing his hope that a direct meeting between the two leaders would contribute to reaching
an understanding that takes into account the interests of all parties and spares the region further tension.
In Cairo, the Egyptian presidency issued a statement explaining that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appreciated Trump’s interest in the Nile water issue,
describing it as “an existential and pivotal issue for Egypt.”
The statement added that the US president’s sponsorship of efforts to resolve this long-standing crisis could open new horizons
for a potential breakthrough in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.
Cooperation mechanisms
And the Egyptian presidency emphasized Cairo’s commitment to establishing constructive cooperation mechanisms
with the Nile Basin countries, in a way that achieves the common interests of all parties,
within the framework of international law and the principles of equitable and reasonable use of water resources.
The statement indicated that the meeting between the two presidents also addressed developments in the Gaza Strip,
efforts to end the war in Sudan, and the latest political and security developments in Lebanon, amidst escalating regional crises.
These developments come at a time when the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) file has reached
a stalemate following the failure of previous rounds of negotiations,
amidst repeated calls for more effective international intervention to bridge the gaps and reach a solution
that guarantees the water security of the downstream countries without infringing on Ethiopia’s right to development.
