Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed on Thursday the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with the president of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh in a telephone call, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. According to the Egyptian presidency, El-Sisi stressed Egypt's position on reaching a legally binding agreement with Ethiopia before starting the second filling of the dam. Both presidents agreed on the important of reaching a settlement in this issue to avoid any negative impact on the security and stability of the region, the statement read. On Tuesday, Sudan invited Egypt and Ethiopia to tripartite talks to discuss possible options over reviving negotiations on the disputed GERD within the next 10 days after a collapse of AU-led talks earlier this month in accordance with Article 10 of the 2015 Declaration of Principles over the dam. Ethiopia plans to move forward with the second filling of the dam — set to take place in July — despite Egypt and Sudan objecting to Addis Ababa making such a move in the absence of a legally binding deal. The second filling aims at collecting around 18.4 bcm Blue Nile water, up from the 4.9 bcm secured during the first filling last year. President Sisi and President Guelleh also discussed ways to boost relations between Egypt and Djibouti. The two presidents discussed boosting economic relations, trade exchange and environmental investments, as well as bilateral and regional cooperation. President El-Sisi also congratulated President Guelleh for his re-election for another term. President Guelleh expressed his appreciation for the historical and brotherly relations between Djibouti and Egypt.
