Egypt's Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Hossam El-Moghazy said a tripartite meeting between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia took place in Addis Ababa on Thursday. The meeting took place to discuss developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the eighth meeting of its kinds since 2013, according to a ministry statement. The meeting reviewed the latest developments in the international consultancy agencies' work towards conducting the needed studies on the GERD's construction and its impact on Egypt and Sudan's water resources. According to an official statement by the Ministry of Water Resources, the tripartite committee will send further notes on the studies to be reviewed by 5 September by experts in the three countries. The next meeting is scheduled to be held in Cairo after reviewing the GERD studies. The ministry refused to give further details on the notes sent to the committee. The GERD, of which 60% has been completed, has strained relations between Ethiopia and Egypt since its construction started in 2011, with relations reaching their lowest point in 2013. Egypt, which utilises more Nile water than any other country, fears the dam will have a detrimental effect on its share of Nile water. It rejects the GERD's current high storage capacity at 74bn cubic metres, as studies showed it will affect its national water security. As per agreements signed in 1929 and 1959, Egypt annually receives 55.5bn cubic metres of the estimated total of 84bn cubic metres of Nile water produced each year, whilst Sudan receives 18.5bn cubic metres.
