Ethiopia said it strongly demands an "African solution" to its dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which it is building along a tributary of the Nile River, raising tensions with the two downstream countries.
MP and Advisor to the Minister of Water and Energy Mohammed Al-Arousi rejected mediation by outside parties.
This came days after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the successful completion of the GERD's 3rd filling and launching power production from the second turbine.
African Union-sponsored talks in this regard remain deadlocked since April 2021.
In an interview with ENA, Arousi said that his country believes that "each African problem, has an African solution." Arousi stressed that Ethiopia is generally opposed to mediation by outside parties, saying it was a strategy to exert pressure on his country.
A well-informed Egyptian source said that the UAE seeks to playing an effective role in pushing forward the negotiations and finding a solution to the conflict that has been ongoing for 11 years.
The UAE has been presenting itself as an indirect mediator, the source added.
The Ethiopian official said that politicizing the Renaissance Dam issue has affected Ethiopia internationally but did not impact its insistence on developing its natural resources.
Arousi encouraged opening a new chapter that focuses on real concerns, stressing that talks must be centered on cooperation factors and ways to reinforce them in a way that serves the three states’ interests.
