Egyptian irrigation minister: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is illegitimate

Egyptian Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam said on Sunday that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is “illegitimate” and that Egypt has the right to take any measures it deems necessary to protect its water security.

Sewilam made the remarks during a briefing for foreign media representatives in Cairo, organised by the government’s State Information Service.

Egypt and Ethiopia have been at odds for years over the dam, which Addis Ababa began building on the Blue Nile in 2011. Cairo has called for a binding agreement on its operation to safeguard Egypt’s water security.

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Sewilam said the completion of the dam and the passage of time did not mean that Egypt accepted the situation or was giving up its rights, stressing that Cairo retained all measures available under international law to protect its interests.

He said the 2015 Declaration of Principles served as a roadmap that established commitments on cooperation and reaching an agreement on the initial filling and annual operation of the dam, as well as coordination and data sharing.

Sewilam stressed that the Declaration of Principles did not give Ethiopia the right to take unilateral measures regarding the dam, and said Egypt considers continued filling and operation without an agreement to be a breach of these commitments.

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