The Egyptian and Sudanese prime ministers emphasised on Saturday the necessity of negotiating in order to reach a binding agreement on filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The remarks were made in a joint statement read out by Sudan's Information Minister Faisal Mohammed Saleh during a press conference held in Khartoum by Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Mabdouly and his Sudanese counterpart Abdalla Hamdok. Madbouly arrived at the Sudanese capital earlier on Saturday for a one-day visit, where he was accompanied by the ministers of irrigation, electricity, heath, and industry and trade, as well as high-level officials from the transport and education ministries. According to the joint statement, the Egyptian and Sudanese sides called for an agreement on the GERD that would preserve the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, in accordance with the 2015 Agreement on the Declaration of Principles, as well as the principle of the just and equitable use of water while not causing significant harm, and the relevant principles of international law. More to follow…