Delegates from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan met for a second day concerning Ethiopia's construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said in a statement on Monday. Known as the National Tripartite meetings, the second day sought an agreement concerning two previous studies taken by an international committee of experts. Procedural rules were agreed upon regarding mechanisms for the exchange of data. The course of action taken by the different states in the adoption of that information was also agreed upon. Since Ethiopia began constructing the dam in 2011, relations between Egypt have been strained. Egypt is concerned that the dam will siphon water, worsening water shortages in Egypt. The meetings were coupled with the Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hossam El-Moghazy's meeting with his Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts at GERD. He was accompanied by a number of Egyptian experts in the fields of water resources, dam safety, and soil mechanics. El-Moghazy pointed out technical difficulties concerning GERDs water conservation and energy output. He said: "The dam is built in the swampy area, which attract some water losses." The minister stressed that Egypt had contacted their Ethiopian counterparts "to provide all the technical details about the effects of the cross-border dam," and stated that all technical queries by Egyptian experts have been answered in detail. The statement continued "the visit took place in a positive atmosphere and with complete transparency," and that his Ethiopian counterparts welcomed the visit of any Egyptian experts to the site. "The Ethiopians will work to deliver modified designs for the main dam safely in accordance with the recommendations of the international committee of experts," he added. The statement said the ministers "visit comes within the frame work of building trust with Ethiopia," though his visit was concerned with the field of engineering and not with making political decisions.
