Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tells Egypt and Sudan that all the attempts outside of negotiation over GERD futile and will not fear fruit
Clik here to view.
borkena
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed remarked on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) negotiation for the first time in a long time.
On Thursday, during an event organized to celebrate power generation from the second turbine of GERD, he conveyed his message.
In his speech during the ceremony, he said that it [the dam] could have been filled within a short time had the water not let flow.
“The reason we release their [Egypt and Sudan] share of the water and hold water for an extended period is to ensure that they are not harmed and we are not harmed. It is out of our interest for mutual development. Lower riparian countries need to understand that and make themselves ready for talks and negotiation. They need to believe that it is possible to attain results through agreement and commit themselves to it,” he said.
He stressed that any action outside of negotiation is a futile attempt and that it will not stop what is started. Egypt has been implicated in financing proxy wars in different parts of Ethiopia by supporting radical ethnic nationalist groups.
In June of this year, a former Finnish diplomat, Simo Parviainen, said the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) works in partnerships with groups in Sudan and Egypt that are working against Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian State media aired the event in breaking news coverage.
The second turbine that is inaugurated on Thursday generates 375 MW of power.
The project is 83 percent completed according to the Project Manager, Engineer Kifle Horo. The aim is to complete it in the next two and half years. The civil engineering aspect of the project is 95 percent completed. But it is lagging behind in terms of metal works and electro-mechanical work which is 73 percent and 61 percent respectively.
Part of the next task is to install the remaining turbine and generate over 515 thousand MW of power, the manager said.
The third filling of the dam is underway. When it is completed the reservoir is expected to have over 18 billion cubic meters of water.
President Sahlework Zewde, First Lady Zinash Tayachew, the Dept Defense Chief of Staff of the Defense Force Abebaw Tadesse, Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonenen, and Defense Minister Abraham Belay attended the event.
__
To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Join the conversation. Follow us on twitter @zborkenato get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly. Like borkena on Facebook as well. To share information or for submission, send e-mail to info@borkena.com
The post Ethiopian PM message to Egypt, Sudan on GERD negotiation appeared first on Borkena Ethiopian News.