Egypt Daily News – Badr Abdel Aty, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, stressed his country’s rejection of “any infringement on Egypt’s water rights,” amid the ongoing crisis over the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
According to the “Sada El-Balad” website, Abdel Aty made these remarks during a press conference held with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, where he explained, “We talked about the situations in Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, and the situation in Yemen, and we emphasized that the key point for achieving security and stability is the urgency of a ceasefire and halting what is happening in Gaza.”
Abdel Aty also “thanked the Italian minister for the excellent level the bilateral relations between the two countries have reached,” affirming the need to further strengthen these ties.
Earlier, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed issued a statement regarding the dialogue with Egypt and Sudan over the Renaissance Dam crisis, in which he claimed that the two downstream countries would not be harmed. He said on Thursday: “The Renaissance Dam will not harm the downstream countries and will ensure water flow throughout the year once it is completed.”
The Ethiopian Prime Minister also noted that his country’s access to the Red Sea is an “existential matter” for Addis Ababa, adding, “This will be achieved through peace and not war with Eritrea or Somalia, in order to obtain a sea outlet.”
Tensions have increased between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan due to the failure to reach an agreement on the Renaissance Dam, a crisis that has been brought before the United Nations Security Council.
