Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam El-Moghazy met with Ethiopia's Ambassador to Egypt, Mahmoud Derir, on Tuesday in Cairo, regarding preparations for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) National Committee. The committee, which is expected to commence meetings by the end of this week, is likely to include Egyptian experts and researchers in the field, according to the ministry. Derir's visit comes at a time of high-level talks between the two countries, in attempt to reach a common position on GERD, which is currently under construction. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry assured his Ethiopian counterpart during their September meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York, that he will visit Ethiopia to maintain momentum on the Nile water talks. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn met in June on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Malabo. The two countries later announced their decision to form a joint committee within three months to streamline discussions on GERD. GERD, which is currently 30% complete, according to Ethiopian Government press statements in February, is a hydroelectric power dam. It has raised concerns from the Egyptian government over its share of the Nile river water.
