Trilateral Negotiation on GERD Disbands without Agreement

Addis Ababa,  February 14/2020 (ENA)The trilateral negotiation on the filling and operation of Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) concluded without reaching agreement on the expected draft legal frameworks.

The latest round of talks between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan that had been discussing on pending issues to prepare draft comprehensive agreement regulating the filling and operation of the GERD in Washington, DC from February 12-13, 2020 but disbanded without a final accord.

Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S., Fitsum Arega, tweeted that the negotiation concluded with no agreement among the three negotiating countries.

The United States has hosted several rounds of talks in Washington D.C following numerous trilateral dialogues in all three countries failed to reach an agreement.

Reports showed that Ethiopian has so far been able to utilize less than five percent of its hydropower resources with heavy dependence of bio-fuel which led to the rapid depletion of its forest resources.

To date, only 55 percent of the population has access to electric power while the rural population is the least served.

With the rapidly growing energy needs of the country estimated at 30 percent annually, Ethiopia has been challenged to meet the energy demands of its population and more markedly the power needs of its growing industries, including the industrial parks.

As a result, Ethiopia’s quest to use the waters of the Nile as a major contributor to the river is not only legitimate but is also pronouncing justice as well.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopia has claimed that Egypt was “trying to impose sole ownership of the Nile”.