Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry handed over a message to his Tanzanian counterpart Palamagamba Kabudi over Ethiopia's controversial dam on the River Nile, the Egyptian ministry said. The message, sent from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, will be delivered to Tanzania's President John Magufuli.
During their talks on Thursday, the two foreign ministers discussed developments in the course of negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the latest round of US-sponsored talks last month.
The Washington talks resulted in a deal crafted by the US over the filling and operation of the GERD which Egypt described as “balanced and fair.”
Only Egypt initialed the agreement, while Sudan and Ethiopia have not signed it.
The Tanzanian president was not able to meet Shoukry as he was visiting flood-stricken areas in his country, the ministry said.
Tanzania is the latest African stop for Shoukry in his African tour following European and Arab trips to deliver messages from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to his counterparts to drum up support for its position on the disputed dam project.
Egypt fears the massive dam, which is now about 70 percent complete, will significantly diminish its supplies from the River Nile water. Ethiopia says the hydropower project is key to its development plan and to pull millions of its citizens out of poverty.
Tensions between the two countries escalated after Addis Ababa withdrew from the final round of talks in Washington, citing the need for more time for further domestic consultations.
Egypt accused Ethiopia of “deliberately” not attending the talks to “to hinder the path of negotiations.”
Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew said earlier this week his country demands "serious and fair" talks. He had earlier described the US push to resolve the dispute with Egypt as “undiplomatic” after Washington called on Ethiopia to sign the deal "at the earliest possible time."
