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Renaissance Dam tripartite negotiations begin today
It is rumored that the tripartite talks to be held by the African Union, chaired by the African Union, will take place on April 3-4, 2021.
The talks will take place at the request of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s foreign ministers and water ministers.
The ups and downs of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The completion of the first phase of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has brought joy to all Ethiopians.
The dam, which has been under construction for ten years, has received water complaints from Sudan and Egypt, but it has shown the way to success for Ethiopians.
Once completed, the dam will be a major development option for neighboring countries.
Egypt has been embroiled in a dispute over its use of Nile water, which it says is in its interest.
Since the construction of the dam began on March 30, 2013, it has gone through various challenges, challenges and deadlines.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been negotiating the Nile issue for the past ten years, but the two countries have not been able to reach an agreement that will bring the three countries together.
We will briefly explore some of the key facts regarding the ten-year journey of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. The years mentioned are all in the Ethiopian calendar.
March 2011
The Ethiopian government has announced plans to build the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa on the Nile.
Following this, construction of the dam officially began in April 2011.
In May, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia set up a technical committee to study the construction of the dam.
March 2012፡
An international panel of experts from the three countries and four foreign experts began to study the effects of the dam.
In October 2012, the team visited the site for the first time.
May 2013፡
Ethiopia has embarked on a crucial construction process by changing the direction of the Nile River.
Although the team submitted its final study report in June of that year, Ethiopia and Egypt could not agree on the interpretation of the report.
Incumbent Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has repeatedly called for the use of force in his televised speeches and discussions, with strong views on the dam.
Egypt has repeatedly said it will take the case to the International Court of Justice, but soon the two countries agreed to reach a political and technical agreement to implement the recommendations of the panel.
September 2014፡
At a UN General Assembly meeting in New York, the two countries agreed to resume talks on the Grand Renaissance Dam.
In November and December, the Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese water ministers met in Khartoum to discuss the experts proposal, but it ended without agreement.
January 2015፡
The Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese water ministers met in Khartoum for the third time and could not agree on the remaining issues.
In February, only the Ethiopian and Egyptian water ministers met in Addis Ababa, but no agreement was reached.
In March, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry announced that it was working hard to inform the international community of Egypt’s position on the Grand Renaissance Dam.
In April, Ethiopia called on Egypt to suspend its campaign on the Grand Renaissance Dam and return to tripartite talks.
In June, the leaders of Egypt and Ethiopia discussed the resumption of work of the tripartite committee during a joint African Union summit in Equatorial Guinea.
In August, water ministers of the three countries resumed talks in Khartoum.
At the suggestion of the experts, the two countries agreed to establish a committee headed by an independent international organization comprising of three countries.
September 2015፡
After the Egyptian and Sudanese water ministers visited the construction site of the dam, members of the tripartite committee met in Addis Ababa.
In October, they met in Cairo to select an independent international consulting firm to conduct a comprehensive study of the dam.
January 2016፡
Egypt has rejected the dam’s 74 billion cubic meters of water and the height of the dam.
At the third round of tripartite meetings in Khartoum in March, the two countries signed a series of agreements.
In the same month, the President of Egypt addressed the Ethiopian House of Peoples Representatives.
April 2016፡
The tripartite committee met in Addis Ababa and selected two European consultants to conduct a comprehensive study of the dam.
In July, committee members reviewed the first round of recommendations at a meeting in Cairo.
November 2016፡
At a meeting of the tripartite committee in Cairo, it was revealed that there was a disagreement between the two European advisers.
In December, the committee agreed to complete the entire study of the dam within a year, in accordance with an agreement reached in Khartoum, and to appoint a new consultant instead of an independent organization.
January 2017፡
The President of Egypt and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia met in Addis Ababa and agreed to honor the Khartoum agreement.
In February, a tripartite committee met in Khartoum to discuss the dam’s impact on Egypt and Sudan.
September 2017፡
All three countries signed an agreement with the French organization BRLI to implement the recommendations of the International Group of Experts.
Februaty 2018፡
Egypt accepted the first round of the two French consultants report, but Ethiopia and Sudan rejected it.
In April, the President of Egypt and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia met in Cairo.
October 2018፡
The tripartite committee met in Cairo to discuss disagreements over the recommendations of the two French consulting firms.
In November, the committee reconvened in Cairo, but no agreement was reached.
The same month, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry accused Egypt of causing problems.
January 2019፡
The Egyptian president expressed concern that the talks were not promising and suggested that he take the matter to the World Bank.
But Ethiopia completely rejected Egypt’s proposal.
In the same month, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed to hold an annual tripartite meeting and set up a committee comprising the three countries’ foreign ministries to establish a infrastructure fund for the dam within a month.
In April, the three countries’ foreign ministers, water ministers, and security officials met in Khartoum.
But the meeting broke up without any fruitful agreement.
The Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese foreign, security and water ministers met again in Addis Ababa in May.
Egypt said the meeting was a success.
During his first visit to Egypt in June, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the dam on the Nile River would not affect Egypt’s water share.
September 2019፡
Egypt has said it will not sign the deal related to filling the GERD dam.
January 2020:
Egypt has announced that talks on the dam have been suspended due to ongoing protests in Sudan.
In July, the President of Egypt and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia met in Cairo.
There, they agreed to continue the tripartite negotiations.
September 2020፡
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the delay in the talks, while Ethiopia again rejected Egypt’s proposal to fill the dam.
Egypt, for its part, has warned Ethiopia not to operate the dam, and in October the White House issued a statement on the Grand Renaissance Dam.
Egypt has demanded that the United States intervene in the dam, while Ethiopia has resisted Egypt’s call.
In a speech to parliament, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said any force will not stop Ethiopia from building the dam.
Egypt has criticized the prime minister’s speech and said it would accept a proposal to hold talks in Washington.
The two countries agreed to continue the tripartite talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, but in November a new round of talks brokered by the United States.
The three countries water and foreign ministers also held talks in Washington and held their second talks in Addis Ababa under the auspices of the United States and the World Bank.
In December, the tripartite committee held three meetings in Cairo, Washington, and Khartoum under the auspices of the United States and the World Bank.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said the meeting was a success and that Egypt had rejected its proposal for the dam, but Egypt denied it.
January 2020፡
Following US President Donald Trump’s announcement that Egypt will demolish the Renaissance Dam, the State Department summoned the US Ambassador to Ethiopia for clarification.
“Egypt will explode the dam,” Donald Trump said in a telephone interview.
The foreign and water ministers met twice in Washington, D.C., and the water ministers met only once in Addis Ababa.
The legal and technical team met in Khartoum and issued a series of statements regarding the agreements reached.
Although the legal and technical team and the water and foreign ministers held frequent talks in Washington, Ethiopia, Ethiopia did not attend the last two meetings.
Egypt accepted the US proposal and signed the agreement.
In March, Ethiopian defense officials announced that they were ready to withstand any attack on the dam.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry also complained that the United States was taking a one-sided stance on the negotiations.
Egypt, for its part, has campaigned for Arab countries to understand and support its position, but Ethiopia has rejected the Arab League’s offer.
In May, Egypt announced that it would not accept the proposal regarding the completion of the dam in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia has written a letter to the United Nations Security Council stating that it does not need Egypt’s approval to complete the construction of the dam and carry out its work.
Egypt had earlier sent a letter to the Security Council urging Ethiopia not to start work on filling the dam without reaching an agreement.
The United Nations, for its part, has called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute between the two countries.
In a letter to the UN Security Council in June, Sudan called on the two countries not to make any decisions without talks.
The two countries agreed to resume tripartite talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi.
Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have held five consecutive talks, while Egypt has said the talks are not promising, blaming Ethiopia.
On June 26, South African President and current chair of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, held a video conference with the leaders of the three countries.
You have agreed to reach an agreement. However, Ethiopia said it will start filling the first phase of the dam in the coming weeks.
In July, Egypt’s foreign ministry said it would pursue a military alternative to the Grand Renaissance Dam.
Negotiations with the participation of all three countries under the auspices of the African Union ended without agreement.
Meanwhile, following the winter, Ethiopian media began to announce the completion of the Grand Renaissance Dam.
Sudan, for its part, said it had seen a 90-cubic meter reduction after the filling began.
2021፡
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is expected to hold a second round of water supply in July and August.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is in its 10th year, has more than doubled over the five-year deadline, which is 79 percent complete.
The construction cost is expected to increase by more than 180 billion birr.
According to the plan, work is underway to hold the second round of the dam this summer.
This week, the Egyptian leader issued a similar threat, declaring that he would resort to violence rather than negotiation.
Regarding the dam, government officials said, “Ethiopia is keen to see a solution negotiated by the African Union.”
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