Washington Meeting Over GERD Concluded

Ena December 10/2019 The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan appreciated the observer status of the U.S. and the World Bank on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The meeting in Washington, D.C. concerning the filling and operations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has ended yesterday issuing a joint statement setting guidelines for future meetings.

According to the joint statement, the meeting noted the progress that has been achieved in Addis Ababa and Cairo and sets direction for the next technical meetings that will be held in Khartoum and Addis Ababa.

The upcoming meetings in Sudan and Ethiopia are expected to develop technical rules for the filling and operation of the GERD, define drought conditions and decide on mitigating measures to be taken if drought occurs.

The ministers recognized that there are substantial benefits to all three countries in developing rules and guidelines to address drought conditions.

The natural flow of water in the given year and water release rates from the GERD will determine measures that will be taken to mitigate drought, the statement reads.

It also indicated that Ethiopia will implement the technical rules and guidelines in filling and operating the dam.

However, the statement further reads, all the three countries may jointly participate in adjusting the implementation of the technical rules and guidelines in filling and operating the dam in accordance with the hydrological conditions in the given year.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the three countries agreed to meet in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 2020 to review the results of the upcoming meetings in Khartoum and Addis Ababa.