Egypt Demands ‘Practical Measures’ from Ethiopia to Reach Agreement on Nahda Dam

The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
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Egypt Demands ‘Practical Measures’ from Ethiopia to Reach Agreement on Nahda Dam

The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)
The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. (AFP)

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Ethiopia should provide practical measures to reach an agreement over the Nahda Dam project on the Nile River.

He stressed Thursday that the measures must take into account the importance and vitality of water resources to the Egyptian people.

Ethiopia had sought to reassure Cairo over the project by saying it was willing to resume negotiations over the under-construction dam.

Since 2014, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan have engaged in tripartite talks to reach a final agreement on the rules of filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The talks should end Cairo’s fears that the dam will reduce the river’s waters coming down from Ethiopia's highlands, through the deserts of Sudan, to Egyptian fields and reservoirs. Ethiopia has claimed the dam is necessary for its development.

In 2015, the leaders of the three countries signed an initial agreement on the Renaissance Dam to guarantee Egypt’s share of 55 billion cubic meters of the Nile water.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed delivered a message to Sisi through his Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew, who was visiting Alexandria on Thursday.

The PM "stressed his country's great interest in boosting all aspects of bilateral relations and enhancing friendship with Egypt.”

He also asserted "the importance of close coordination between Ethiopia and Egypt to achieve stability in Africa and the region, including supporting the Sudanese people to overcome the current challenges."

He expressed his country’s keenness on resuming tripartite talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to reach an agreement on the dam.

A new round of negotiations was set to be held between the three countries in Cairo in April, but the ouster of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and the ensuing upheaval in Sudan led to their postponement.

Informed sources said Egypt plans to soon hold a meeting that includes the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Water and intelligence officials from Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia after relative calm was restored in Sudan.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.