Ethiopia on Sunday reiterated its commitment not to harm the rights of any Nile Basin countries, calling for optimal use of the Nile water. Ethiopia's minister of foreign affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu, also underscored at a press conference his country's keenness to establish integrative relations with the Nile Basin countries to achieve joint interests. Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia signed Declaration of Principles in March 2015 in Khartoum regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), articulating the continuation of talks on political and technical issues, as well as conducting technical studies to protect the three countries' shares in the Nile. The GERD project unsettled Egypt as it fears the dam could impact its share in the Nile River waters, which amounts to 55.5 billion cubic meters. Ethiopia reiterated that the dam would constitute a benefit in field of electricity generating without posing any harm on either Sudan or Egypt. Projected to be the largest hydro-electric project in Africa, the GERD extends over an area of 1,800 square kilo-meters, and is expected to be completed in three years at a cost of 4.7 billion U.S. dollars.
