President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi reiterated Thursday that Egypt hopes to reach a fair and binding agreement to fill and operate the Grand Ethiopian Rennaisance Dam (GERD) in a way that does not harm the downstream countries.
“I clarified the Egyptian position within the framework of the GERD negotiations and affirmed Egypt's keenness to reach a fair and binding agreement to the filling and operation of the dam,” Sisi told a press conference following talks with President of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoco Embalo in Cairo.
He added that this agreement shall guarantee that no harm is caused to the two downstream countries.
Last month, Ethiopia ignored Egypt’s warnings on the importance of reaching a comprehensive, binding and legal agreement on filling and operating the dam.
During Thursday’s meeting, the Egyptian President affirmed Cairo’s determination to give a further push to the bilateral relationship and cooperation with Guinea-Bissau by boosting trade exchange and encouraging investment between the two countries.
“This visit represents an important opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries, especially in light of Guinea-Bissau’s significance in the West African region,” Sisi said.
Embalo commended the inspiring Egyptian experience and its pivotal role in contributing to achieving comprehensive development, economic growth, and maintaining peace and security in Africa.
“This is done by sharing the various Egyptian experiences and harnessing their distinguished potentials,” he said.
Sisi and Embalo also agreed to continue consultation and joint coordination on several issues, including efforts made to combat terrorism, extremist ideology and migration in Africa as well as the situation in the West African region, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
“I look forward to furthering our already close bilateral cooperation for the common interest we share with our African continent,” Sisi said.
