Egypt Rallies Support from Nile Upstream States

Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
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Egypt Rallies Support from Nile Upstream States

Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)
Men fish from boats during low tide on the river Nile in Cairo, Egypt, November 19, 2015. (File Photo: Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh)

Egypt continues with its strategic approach to enhance its position among Nile Basin countries in particular, and strengthen African relations in general, hoping to rally support for its policies on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it says will affect its share of the Nile waters.

The last three rounds of negotiations did not yield much progress at the level of the negotiations between the downstream countries (Egypt and Sudan) and the upstream state (Ethiopia).

Both Adis Ababa and Khartoum insist on rejecting the preliminary report by a French firm (agreed by the three) on the economic, environmental and social impacts of the dam. Whereas, Cairo announced its acceptance of the report.

The Egyptian steps appeared to have positive effects especially after Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday, said during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that extended an invitation to Sisi to visit Uganda and become the first Egyptian President to tour the Source of River Nile.

The Egyptian-Ugandan summit discussed the Nile basin issue and joint cooperation, as well as the signing of agreements between the two countries in the fields of agriculture, irrigation, engineering and electricity.

"The two presidents discussed the Nile water issue, and they both agreed on the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Nile basin states to achieve sustainable use of the water resources in favor of the common interests of the peoples of upstream and downstream countries," Egypt's presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said in the statement.

The spokesman indicated that President Sisi welcomed the consensus of views of both countries regarding different political issues, hailing the Ugandan president's efforts to reach political settlements for the crises facing the continent and to boost anti-terrorism efforts in Africa.

Egypt has intensified its efforts in the continent, especially in the past two months, and the Foreign Minister toured several countries including Burundi, Kenya and South Sudan, while Cairo received Kenyan President and his Ugandan counterpart.

The Egyptian meetings were not limited to diplomatic talks, but some of them included the launch of development projects provided by Egypt to Burundi within the framework of the programs and projects of support provided by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD) of Foreign Ministry to African countries.



Iraq's Kurdish Oil Exports Restart is Not Imminent

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media/AFP
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media/AFP
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Iraq's Kurdish Oil Exports Restart is Not Imminent

An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media/AFP
An oil field in Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Kurdistan government media/AFP

A restart of Iraq's Kurdish oil exports is not imminent, sources close to the matter said on Friday, despite Iraq's federal government saying on Thursday that shipments would resume immediately.

Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government have been in negotiations since February to end a stand-off that has halted flows from the north of the country to Türkiye's port of Ceyhan. The KRG was producing about 435,000 barrels per day (bpd) before the pipeline closure in March 2023, Reuters reported.

On Thursday the federal government said that Iraqi Kurdistan would resume oil exports immediately through the pipeline to Türkiye's despite drone attacks that have shut down half of the region's output.

But on Friday a source at APIKUR, a group of oil companies working in Kurdistan, said that a restart depended on the receipt of written agreements. Another at KAR Group, which operates the pipeline, said that no preparations had been made for a restart.

Baghdad and the companies have not yet agreed how to restart the exports, a KRG government source said, while a source at Türkiye's Ceyhan said there was also no preparation at the terminal for a restart of flows.

On Thursday, a statement from KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the government had approved a joint understanding with the federal government and it was awaiting financial details.

Similar agreements in the past failed to secure a resumption in exports and it remains unclear if this deal will succeed.

Oil companies working in Kurdistan have previously demanded that their production-sharing contracts should remain unchanged and their debts of nearly $1 billion be settled under any agreement.

Oilfields in Iraqi Kurdistan have been attacked by drones this week, with officials pointing to Iran-backed militias as the likely source of the attacks, although no group has claimed responsibility.

They are the first such attacks on oilfields in the region and coincide with the first attacks in seven months on shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen.

On Thursday a strike hit an oilfield operated by Norway's DNO in Tawke, the region's counter-terrorism service said.

It was the week's second strike on a site operated by DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Türkiye.

No casualties have been reported, but oil output in the region has been cut by between 140,000 bpd and 150,000 bpd, two energy officials said.