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Egypt Seeks Solution to GERD Crisis that Preserves its Water Interests

A view from an airplane window shows buildings around the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt March 10, 2020. (Reuters)
A view from an airplane window shows buildings around the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt March 10, 2020. (Reuters)
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Egypt Seeks Solution to GERD Crisis that Preserves its Water Interests

A view from an airplane window shows buildings around the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt March 10, 2020. (Reuters)
A view from an airplane window shows buildings around the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt March 10, 2020. (Reuters)

Egypt is keen on resolving the dispute with Ethiopia over the giant hydropower dam on the Blue Nile and reach an agreement that preserves the interests of all concerned countries.

It underscored the importance of the Nile River as a "source of cooperation and construction" since it is considered an international waterway.

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is set to be the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa but has been a center of dispute with downstream nations Egypt and Sudan ever since work first began in 2011.

Egypt suffers from a scarcity of water resources and needs about 114 billion cubic meters annually, while the available water resources amount to 74 billion cubic meters.

The Nile water accounts for more than 90 percent of Egypt’s needs or 55.5 billion cubic meters.

It is expecting a shortage in its water share as Addis Ababa begins operating the GERD on the Nile River.

Therefore, it has been stressing the need to reach a legally-binding agreement to fill and operate the dam.

Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawy took advantage of his participation in the "Water Security in Africa" symposium to speak about the water situation in Egypt.

The event was held on the sidelines of the ninth edition of the Africities Summit in Kisumu, Kenya, on Thursday.

Shaarawy stressed that his country is making tireless efforts in all governorates to preserve water and ensure the optimal use of water resources.

He presented the government’s plan to rationalize water consumption. He highlighted the national canal rehabilitation project, as well as efforts to transform the modern irrigation system to conserve water, treat agricultural and sanitary wastewater, desalinate sea water and purify lakes.

Shaarawy warned that the water issue affects climate changes in Africa, stressing that the Nile River must be a source of cooperation and construction.

He said the GERD crisis is one of the major issues that Cairo looks forward to addressing in a way that ensures no country is harmed and all water interests are protected.

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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.