Negotiators Denounce Trump's Irresponsible Statement on GERD

Addis Ababa, October 24/2020 (ENA) Chief Negotiators of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) have condemned the US President Donald Trump for interfering on internal matters of sovereign nations and disrupting the long standing and strong ties between Ethiopia and the U.S.

President Trump on Friday suggested that Egypt may destroy the GERD, during the announcement of a normalization deal between Israel and Sudan.

"They'll end up blowing up the dam. And I said it and I say it loud and clear -- they'll blow up that dam. And they have to do something," Trump said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the Veteran expert on Nile and Chief Negotiator of the GERD, Dr, Yacob Arsano said this statement does not consider the age-long strong cooperation among the people and the governments of Ethiopia and the U.S.

“Sponsoring Egypt so as to drive a war against the sovereign Ethiopia is just unexpected, irresponsible and impossible," he said and added that it is either irrelevant for the statues and values of the U.S.”

Ethiopian partners, the Congress members of the U.S, members of the Ethiopian community in that country have to condemn this in a strong possible ways, Dr. Yacob underlined.

Yacob said public mobilization is critical to say no for the interference of other parties in matters of Ethiopia’s national interest and urged all Ethiopians to stand firmly to protect their rights.

Former Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt, Ibrahim Idris, on his part said  Trump`s  statement  on Ethiopia’s dam  should be considered as an individual stand that does not represent  US’s foreign policy and most members of the congress.

Indicating the strong partnership between Ethiopia and the U.S in the region, the Ambassador underlined that “creating panic here and there is Egypt`s typical behavior being practiced to disrupt the on-going negotiation.”  

“Nothing will happen by just wagging war on one’s sovereign nation”, he affirmed.

History tells the fact that Ethiopian are very courageous who don’t hesitate to defend enemies to safeguard their sovereignty with all costs, the Ambassador further stated.

Following the controversial comment of President Trump on GERD yesterday, the government of Ethiopia disclosed that the East African nation  will not cave-in to aggression of any kind, nor does the country give recognition to right that is entirely based on colonial treaties on GERD.