Sudan delays tripartite meeting on GERD following Ethiopian request
Egypt’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zaid said Sunday that the ministry has received a notification from the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs delaying the tripartite ministerial meeting regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The meeting of Egyptian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese ministers of water and foreign affairs was set to be held from 24-25 February in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum. It was delayed after an Ethiopian request due to the current political upheaval in the country.
Egypt understands the situation in Addis Ababa and is looking to meet the time frame for discussing the current technical escalation over the GERD. The time frame was determined by the leaders of the three countries on the sidelines of the 30th African Union (AU) Summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa late in January, said Abou Zaid.
Abou Zaid added that the issue of the GERD is related to the interests of the three countries, and the rapid steps to end the escalation are in favour of their peoples.
On Friday, the Ethiopian Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency for six months, following its Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn’s resignation amid mass demonstrations.
On Thursday, Desalegn said he decided to resign in hopes of helping to end the unrest in the country.