Cairo-Sana
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed that his country will take adequate measures to protect its national and water security and deal with any irresponsible move by Ethiopia with regard to filling and operating the Renaissance Dam again, his strong criticism of Ethiopia's position rejecting all proposals related to the resumption of negotiations in this regard.
Shukry said during a telephone interview on a TV program last night, according to what the Egyptian Youm7 website reported: “If harm occurs to Egypt in diminishing its water rights, it is considered a hostile act, and there is a gradual method in international law to confront it that starts with diplomatic and political measures and interference by parties that can have it. Impact on the scene and ends with the will and determination of the affected state with the right to take the action it deems appropriate, calling on Ethiopia to take a voluntary decision by negotiation and tripartite agreement to fill the dam in order to avoid harm to the two downstream countries.
Shoukry pointed out that there is a bilateral move by Egypt and Sudan to inform the international community of what the negotiations have reached in the Renaissance Dam to reveal the "extent of Ethiopian intransigence" in these negotiations, noting that the agreement with Ethiopia regarding filling the Renaissance Dam until this moment is "not a difficult matter."
In this context, Shoukry stressed the need to reach a fair solution to achieve the interests of everyone and for the sake of stability in the region, reiterating that his country will not withdraw from any agreement it entered into of its free will and does not enter into agreements unless it will achieve its interests.
The Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources announced yesterday its rejection of an Ethiopian offer to share data for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam without a binding agreement, indicating that the Ethiopian proposal contravenes the decisions of the African summits that were held on this file.
