Egypt has intensified its efforts to exert pressure on Addis Ababa in its dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in the wake of the latest presidential statement issued by the Security Council.
Last month, the Council urged Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan to resume African Union-led talks to reach a binding deal "within a reasonable timeframe" over the operation of the giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Wednesday met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ambassador Bassam Rady.
The Egyptian president is visiting Hungary to participate in the Visegrad Group Summit.
Rady indicated that the talks tackled various regional and international developments, and issues of common interest.
He added that Sisi and Orban also exchanged views on the peace process in the Middle East.
They reiterated the necessity of intensifying international efforts to resume negotiations and settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on international resolutions.
They also discussed the dispute on GERD, and Sisi affirmed the commitment shown by Egypt to negotiate a settlement and reach a binding agreement with Ethiopia on filling and operating the dam to resolve the dispute.
He stressed that the international community should have a key role in resolving this prime issue that affects Egypt’s water interests.
In a related context, the Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister, Badr Abdel-Aty, met with Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora.
They discussed several issues, including Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and especially the latest developments in Libya.
They also tackled the situation in Afghanistan, disarmament and combating terrorism, and the dispute on GERD.
