Ethiopia Must Intensify Global Diplomacy to Showcase GERD's Non-Harmful, Developmental Nature

Addis Ababa, December 10, 2025 — Ethiopia must intensify its engagement on international platforms to effectively articulate facts about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to water management expert Fekahmed Negash.

Since the GERD is built on Ethiopian territory using an Ethiopian river, it falls under the nation's sovereign development rights upheld by international law, Negash said.

While this right is bounded by the principle of avoiding significant harm to others, the GERD has proven to be non-harmful and mutually beneficial to all riparian countries by mitigating downstream flooding and reducing water evaporation.

The expert noted that Egypt failed to expand its colonial-era agreements over Ethiopia through negotiations.

With the GERD now complete, its reservoir filled, and generating power, Egypt's Foreign Minister recently falsely claimed Ethiopia used 13-14 years of talks to buy time for construction.

Negash called this claim baseless, arguing Egypt's statements aim to appeal for third-party intervention and external pressure to force Ethiopia into a coercive agreement favoring Egypt.

He believes Egypt's strategy involves creating problems and using threats to achieve its objectives or destabilize Ethiopia.

The expert praised the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry's timely response to Egypt's aggressive statements but stressed the need to further strengthen diplomatic efforts.

Ethiopia must utilize every international forum to present its factual position while anticipating and analyzing potential pressures before they materialize.

Fekahmed concluded that most riparian nations understand the GERD as a cooperative project designed to benefit, not harm, downstream countries.