Panafrican News Agency

Egyptian PM visits Sudan for talks on controversial Ethiopian dam

Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - Egypt and the Sudan on Saturday concluded a one-day meeting in Khartoum on bilateral relations and how to give impetus to the stalled talks on the controversial Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Blue Nile by Ethiopia.

Sudanese Dr. Abdalla Hamdouk had a lengthy discussion with Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madboul and his high level delegation saying the visit was within the framework of strategic relations between the two countries.

The Egyptian Prime Minister's delegation  included six ministers and seven undersecretaries.

A joint statement at the end of the talks underlined the need to reach a “negotiated binding agreement” on the GERD and water resources in the tri-lateral talks that are under the African Union, between the Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia. 

When fully operational, GDRD will be the largest hydro-electric plant in Africa, projected to provide power to 65 million Ethiopians, who currently lack a regular electricity supply.

But Egypt and Sudan, the two countries downstream of the dam, are opposed to its filling and talks on the timetable for that phase are deadlocked. The filling of the dam started last month during Ethiopia's raining season.

Dr. Hamdouk said the visit provided the opportunity to discuss a number of issues of mutual concern, including the cooperation in the fields of electricity power connection, infrastructure, health, education, trade as well as GERD and regional issues.

He said that the two sides agreed on reactivation of agreements and protocols signed between the two countries as well as the commencement of implementation of practical programmes of the interest to the two nations.

-0- PANA MO/MA 15Aug2020