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Ethiopia Informs Washington it Will Fill GERD as Scheduled

A photo of the Blue Nile near the GERD and Ethiopian-Sudanese borders. (Reuters)
A photo of the Blue Nile near the GERD and Ethiopian-Sudanese borders. (Reuters)
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Ethiopia Informs Washington it Will Fill GERD as Scheduled

A photo of the Blue Nile near the GERD and Ethiopian-Sudanese borders. (Reuters)
A photo of the Blue Nile near the GERD and Ethiopian-Sudanese borders. (Reuters)

Ethiopia informed US Special Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth of its declared positions on the talks over the mega dam it is building on the Blue Nile.

Addis Ababa will go ahead with the second filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’s (GERD) reservoir in the upcoming rainy season in July as planned, said the country’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen.

Spokesperson for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry Ambassador Dina Mufti during a weekly press conference on Tuesday that Mekonnen met with Booth and briefed him on his country’s positions on GERD and the border dispute with Sudan.

Ethiopia contributes 86 percent of the water share of the Nile River, yet 60 percent of its citizens still live in darkness, and Ethiopia aims to change this once it finishes the construction of the dam, which will generate power, Mufti quoted Mekonnen as saying.

Ethiopia has legal and sovereign right to use the Nile water for development fairly and equitably, he stressed, affirming that it has no interest in harming the lower Nile Basin countries.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s official Facebook page, the filling of the dam is part of the overall construction project.

Sudan has been provided with the necessary information on the second filling and reassured about the impact on its water facilities, Mufti noted.

Mekonnen told Booth that Ethiopia has always been committed to resolving issues through negotiations, in a way that addresses Khartoum and Cairo’s concerns.

He stressed his country’s keenness to sustaining the African Union-led talks under the chairmanship of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Furthermore, Mekonnen reiterated Addis Ababa’s position on the Egyptian-Sudanese proposal to involve the quartet (European Union, the United Nations, the United States and the African Union) in GERD talks.

He urged the US to implement the Declaration of Principles signed by the three parties in 2015.

Addis Ababa began constructing the dam in 2011. It is now preparing to begin the second phase of filling, despite warnings from Sudan and Egypt.

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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
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Lavrov: Moscow Maintains Communication with Damascus, Will Not Withdraw from the Region

Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)
Syrian forces stop a car at a checkpoint after taking control of the port of Tartus earlier this month. (AFP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to the Middle East, stating that Moscow “has not and will not withdraw from the region.” He emphasized ongoing communication with Syria’s new leadership and expressed readiness to support the political process in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov attributed Syria’s deteriorating situation to the previous regime, blaming its unwillingness to implement reforms and share power with the opposition.

“The refusal of the former Syrian regime to make any changes or share power with the opposition was one of the primary reasons for its collapse,” he said.

Lavrov noted that over the past decade, since President Bashar al-Assad requested Russian intervention in the Syrian war and the launch of the Astana peace process, Damascus had delayed advancing the political path.

“Despite support from Arab nations, Syrian authorities showed reluctance to move forward politically and sought to maintain the status quo,” he explained.

He highlighted Russia’s repeated calls for the Syrian government to engage with the Constitutional Committee, established during the 2018 Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, and to actively work on drafting a new constitution.

Lavrov also pointed to economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions, which have stifled Syria’s economy, and US control over oil-rich eastern regions. Resources were exploited to fuel separatist ambitions in northeastern Syria, he remarked.

Moreover, the FM revealed details of Moscow’s earlier discussions with Kurdish groups, reiterating his country’s position that Kurdish rights should be guaranteed within the constitutional frameworks of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Türkiye.

He argued that the previous Syrian regime’s reluctance to engage in political dialogue resulted in stalled reforms proposed by the United Nations, Moscow and Cairo platforms, and Istanbul-based opposition groups. This inaction, he said, created a vacuum that ultimately led to the collapse.

Furthermore, he dismissed claims that his country’s withdrawal from Syria would signal its departure from the Middle East.

“Russia has not and will not leave the region,” he declared. Without directly addressing the status of Russian military bases in Syria, Lavrov emphasized: “Our embassy never left Damascus, and we maintain ongoing communication with the authorities.”

He also stressed Russia’s willingness to facilitate inclusive dialogue involving all national, political and sectarian factions, as well as relevant international stakeholders. Lavrov underscored that recent discussions with Türkiye, Gulf nations, and other parties demonstrated widespread agreement that Russia and Iran must be involved in the Syrian peace process if sustainable results are to be achieved.

For his part, Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, reaffirmed Russia’s focus on developments in Syria, describing relations with Damascus as a “priority of Russian foreign policy.”

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Bogdanov might soon lead a Russian delegation to Damascus. However, a Russian diplomatic source informed Asharq Al-Awsat that no date for the visit has been confirmed. The visit, which was reportedly postponed, would mark the first by a senior Russian official to Damascus since the fall of Assad’s regime in December.

Meanwhile, media reports indicated that Moscow is facing logistical challenges in withdrawing military equipment from Syria, due to restrictions imposed by Syrian authorities on the movement of Russian ships in territorial waters.

According to the English-language edition of RT, the Russian ship Sparta 2, designated to transport military equipment and weapons, was denied entry to the Port of Tartus, where Russia maintains its only overseas naval base.