Sisi: Egypt Considers GERD a Matter of National Security

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. AFP file photo
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. AFP file photo
TT

Sisi: Egypt Considers GERD a Matter of National Security

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. AFP file photo
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. AFP file photo

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Friday that Cairo considers the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) a matter of national security, holding onto Egypt’s water rights.

“The president stressed the importance of this issue as a matter of national security and Egypt’s clinging to its water rights through reaching a legally binding agreement on clear rules of filling and operating the dam,” presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said in a statement.

Sisi was speaking during a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The two officials discussed a number of regional issues, including the situation in Libya, as well as the developments on the Ethiopian dam crisis.

A day earlier, Egypt accused Addis Ababa of showing its intention to impose a fait accompli on the Nile downstream countries by attempting to continue filling GERD.

Meanwhile, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said that water is a matter of existence, warning about the crisis of water scarcity and its profound effects on the countries that suffer shortages and the need to take urgent measures to support them.

In a speech at the UN High-Level meeting on the implementation of the water-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, the PM said his country seeks a fair and balanced agreement in the negotiations on the dam.

Madbouly said Egypt’s annual share of water is 560 cubic meters per person, adding that his country is among the driest countries with the least access to renewable water resources. “It is also among the top countries globally in terms of dependency on a single source of water,” he said.

Egypt insists on the necessity of reaching a binding legal agreement on the rules for filling and operating GERD in a manner that preserves common interests while continuing negotiations with Sudan and Ethiopia.

In his phone call with Johnson, Sisi stressed Egypt’s keenness on boosting cooperation with Britain in different domains and importing technology from Britain.

He also asserted interest in promoting coordination on regional and international issues of common concern.

The British PM expressed appreciation to Egypt’s efforts in solving the Libyan crisis and restoring state institutions.



French FM Says Iraq Should Not Be Dragged into Regional Conflicts

 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
TT

French FM Says Iraq Should Not Be Dragged into Regional Conflicts

 Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, right, shakes hands with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP)

France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Iraq should not be pulled into conflicts in a turbulent Middle East during his first visit to the country, which has suffered from decades of instability.

Jean-Noel Barrot will also visit Kuwait as part of a regional tour to push for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Iraq, an ally to both Tehran and Washington, has been navigating a delicate balancing act not to be drawn into the fighting, after pro-Iran factions launched numerous attacks on US troops based in Iraq, as well as mostly failed attacks on Israel.

"It is essential for Iraq not to be drawn into conflicts it did not choose," Barrot said in a joint conference with his counterpart Fuad Hussein.

He praised the Iraqi government's efforts to "preserve the stability of the country."

"We are convinced that a strong and independent Iraq is a source of stability for the entire region, which is threatened today by the conflict that started on October 7, and Iran's destabilizing activities," Barrot said.

There have been no attacks by pro-Iran Iraqi factions for several months, while Iraq is now preparing to host an Arab League summit and the third edition of the Baghdad Conference on regional stability, which Paris has been co-organizing with Baghdad since 2021.

Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy with Iran while engaging in talks over its nuclear program.

Fouad Hussein urged for successful talks "to spare the region from the danger of war," adding that "there are no alternatives to negotiations."

Barrot met Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad, and he is expected later in the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to meet with Kurdish leaders.

Sudani said he welcomed "an upcoming visit" of French President Emmanuel Macron to Iraq, which would be his third trip to the country.

Iraq and France have been strengthening their bilateral relations in several sectors, including energy and security.

France has deployed troops in Iraq as part of the US-led international coalition to fight the ISIS group, which was defeated in Iraq in 2017, although some of its cells remain active.

Baghdad is now seeking to end the coalition's mission and replace it with bilateral military partnerships with the coalition's members, saying its own forces can lead the fight against the weakened militants.

"We cannot allow ten years of success against terrorism to be undermined," Barrot said, adding that France remains ready to contribute to the fighting.

Barrot's regional tour will also help "prepare for the international conference for the implementation of the two-state solution" that Paris will co-organize in June with Riyadh, the French foreign ministry said.

Macron said earlier this month that France planned to recognize a Palestinian state, possibly as early as June.

He said he hoped it would "trigger a series of other recognitions", including of Israel.

For decades, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state has been seen as the endgame of a peace process between Palestinians and Israel.