Egyptian Foreign minister Sameh Shoukry spoke extensively on ties between Egypt and Ethiopia during a meeting with a group of honours students on Sunday who had just finished their secondary education. Shoukry stated that Egypt-Ethiopia ties are ongoing despite Egypt's diminishing political role in the continent. "Our relationship with Ethiopia cannot only be reduced to the dam issue," said Shoukry, explaining that Egypt's role in Africa has been negatively affected by what he described as political escalations agitated by leaks that claim Egypt is a threat and intends to veto the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam (GRD). He affirmed that last June's meeting between Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Ethiopian counterpart in Malabo has contributed to opening new channels in the relationship between the two states. The meeting resulted in the issue of a joint statement by the two African states where they affirmed their commitment to mutual respect and cooperation in addition to vowing to respect international law and achieve joint gains. El-Sisi attended the African Union's 23rd Ordinary Summit in Equatorial Guinea's capital last month following an 11 month freeze on Egypt's membership. "The Nile that brings us together should be a source of joint interest rather than dispute," he said explaining that Egypt aims to establish joint development projects with Ethiopia. He added that for his part the Ethiopian prime minister stressed that Egypt's share of water will not be harmed, acknowledging the importance of the Nile river to Egypt. Speaking to the young students, Shoukry also stressed the necessity of "building trust," adding that the tripartite committee will be meeting soon. The technical committee was formed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to study the possible effects of the dam and try to generate consensus. According to state-owned news agency MENA, the committee's meeting scheduled for mid-August in the Sudanese capital was postponed for a week by Ethiopia's request. The planned Grand Renaissance Dam is a $4.2 billion hydro-electric dam on the Blue Nile, one of the main tributaries of the Nile. The project has been a source of concern for the Egyptian government since May 2013, when images of the dam's construction stirred public anxiety about the possible effect on Egypt's share potable water supply. Ethiopia maintains that Egypt's water share will not be negatively affected by the successful completion of the project. Shoukry's meeting with students also tackled other aspects of the country's foreign policy. Regarding Egypt's souring ties with Qatar, Shoukry explained that ties with neighbouring Arab countries are considered by Egypt to be "brotherly relationships" and added that such ties must be based on "mutual respect." He added that if there is room for enhancing the Qatar-Egypt ties it will be for the benefits of the people of the two states. He also said that the issue of Palestine is still at the top of Egypt's agenda, denouncing the continuous assaults against Palestinians which have lead to the death of over 1,000 citizens, most of whom are civilians. He added the Egypt is currently "trying to bring back stability" in Palestine. Shoukry also spoke to Egypt-US ties, stressing their importance in spite of "the tension." Source: MENA & SIS
