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Ethiopia Rejects Egyptian, Sudanese Warnings Against Filling GERD

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydroelectric power station in Africa (AP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydroelectric power station in Africa (AP)
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Ethiopia Rejects Egyptian, Sudanese Warnings Against Filling GERD

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydroelectric power station in Africa (AP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is the largest hydroelectric power station in Africa (AP)

Ethiopia is proceeding with the second filling of the controversial dam on the Nile River despite Egyptian and Sudanese warnings.

Egypt and Sudan call for a legally binding agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD)'s filling and operation to guarantee their water right, while Ethiopia refuses to commit to any agreement that limits its capability to develop its resources.

Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen said that his country owns 86% of the river’s waters and that no one can prevent the country from benefiting from its share.

He noted that Ethiopians had gone through several ups and downs over the past years to realize the project.

Demeke made the remark at a symposium organized over the 10th anniversary of the commencement of the dam.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy Dr. Seleshi Bekele, for his part, expressed his country's commitment to the international law obligations regarding transboundary waters.

Yet, he added that efforts to cooperate with the negotiating states were in vain.

Bekele said the second filling of the GERD would be implemented in the coming rainy season, which starts in July, and “will not be postponed by any means.”

Spokesman for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dina Mufti said that Ethiopia has “great respect for the African Union” and that the country “believes in resolving African problems by Africans.”

Ethiopia’s FM also said that they haven’t received an official proposal to form a quartet committee that includes the European Union, the United Nations, the United States, and the African Union to mediate the GERD talks.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.