President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok discussed the latest developments in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) file as well as ways to boost bilateral cooperation. The meeting was held at the presidential palace following Hamdok's arrival in Cairo on Thursday. Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, and the head of the General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel attended the meeting. El-Sisi and Hamdok exchanged views on regional issues in the Horn of Africa and the Nile Basin as well as the latest updates on the current tensions on the borders between Sudan and Ethiopia, stated the Egyptian presidency. On the disputed Ethiopian dam, El-Sisi and Hamdok agreed to intensify talks with regional and international parties to support the Sudanese proposal of forming a quartet committee -- comprising the African Union, the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations -- to mediate between Ethiopia and the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan. Egypt welcomed the suggestion, but Ethiopia rejected it, claiming it minimised the role of the African Union. Both Egypt and Sudan want Ethiopia to agree on a legally binding agreement on the policies of operating and filling the GERD before the second filling starts in July. Hamdok lauded the positive results of President El-Sisi's recent visit to Khartoum earlier this week, emphasising the special relationship between the peoples and governments of Egypt and Sudan. Sudan, Hamdok added, cherishes the historical bonds with Egypt, which is the Arab world and Africa's heavyweight and the base for regional stability. The Sudanese premier also praised Egypt's longstanding positions to maintain Sudan's stability during the transition period. El-Sisi and Hamdok also discussed ways to boost bilateral relations, epecially in transferring the Egyptian experience in economic reforms, training Sudanese cadres, the electrical interconnection, and railway connectivity projects. They also focused on boosting trade and establishing joint investment projects in the industrial and agricultural sectors, in addition to activating the work of joint technical committees and memoranda of understanding.
