Cairo-Sana
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a preliminary agreement was reached with Sudan and Ethiopia on the Renaissance Dam after a series of negotiations.
The ministry indicated in a statement today that a schedule has been agreed that includes a plan for filling the Renaissance Dam in stages, in addition to a mechanism to deal with droughts and protracted droughts and scarce years during filling or during operation.
The statement pointed out that the foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on "the importance of completing negotiations and reaching an agreement on the mechanism of operating the Renaissance Dam during normal hydrological conditions," noting the need for coordination to monitor and follow up the implementation of the agreement and exchange data and information and settle disputes.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the negotiations rounds between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water Resources in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia took place with the participation of Washington and the World Bank.
The Foreign Ministry indicated that the technical and legal committees were mandated to continue the meetings in Washington in order to finalize the agreement, noting that the foreign and water resources ministers of the three countries will meet again in Washington on February 12 and 13 in order to approve the final version of the agreement in preparation for signing it at the end of February.