Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed agreed in a phone call on Friday to overcome any obstacles facing negotiations on the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, according to the Egyptian presidency. Tensions have been building up between the two countries in recent weeks after talks on the technical details governing the operation of the mega-dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile failed to make progress. Ahmed called Sisi on Friday to thank him for his congratulations after the Ethiopian leader was announced as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. During the call, the two leaders stressed “the importance of overcoming any obstacles to the negotiations of the Renaissance Dam in order to reach an agreement that fulfils the hopes and aspirations of the peoples of the three countries, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia,” the statement said. That agreement will be within the framework of the Declaration of Principles signed by the three nations in 2015 as a basis for negotiations, it added. Earlier this week, Egyptian officials said talks over the matter had reached a deadlock and called for international mediation. Ethiopia has dismissed the calls for mediation, saying it has faith in the trilateral negotiations. Egypt fears the dam will diminish its water supply, which is dependent on the Nile. Ethiopia maintains the hydroelectric dam will not restrict the river's flow and hopes the mega-project will turn it into a regional power hub. Source: Ahram Online
