Genuine GERD talks garner lasting solution BY HIZKEL HAILU - Articles

Genuine GERD talks garner lasting solution
BY HIZKEL HAILU
A number of years have lapsed since the trilateral dialogue started among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt with regard to the construction and filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). However, the two countries (Egypt and Sudan) are in a diplomatic ploy to deter the attainment of a lasting solution.
In spite of series of talks among the countries at different platforms, when one of the downstream countries accepts proposals, the other side rejects. For instance, on January 3/2021 statement on the trilateral talks, Egypt rejected a working document that Ethiopia and Sudan green lighted. Sudan had reflected positively to the draft document and was keen on having bilateral meetings with AU assigned experts rejecting trilateral meetings of the parties.
“Yet, on Sunday’s meeting, Sudan refused to have the bilateral meeting with the AU assigned experts as proposed by the AU chair, putting enhancement of the TOR of the experts as a prerequisite, says a statement from Foreign Affairs Ministry.”
That is why some are agreeing that the two countries are frightening genuine consultations over the GERD talks. The very thing that needs to be taken in account is that genuine GERD talk is the sole option to bring about lasting solution benefiting the three countries and even others.
As a sovereign country, Ethiopia has the right to sustain its prosperity and development. GERD is not a matter of seeking light, but rather it is a matter of life and death for Ethiopians.
Though Ethiopia’s demands to fulfill infrastructure for its society, lack of electric supply has long remained to be a major bottleneck. Hence, the country is working keenly to overcome this problem.
Noting that Ethiopia does not have any intention to significantly harm the downstream countries, Ethiopian officials repeatedly stated that the country has been working on ways of ensuring its interests and proposing solutions to minimize such significant harms to the downstream countries.
At a virtual meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Water Affairs of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan which was held last Sunday, the meeting was conducted after the interruption of the trilateral process last week due to the absence of the Sudan.
The Ministers exchanged views on the continuation of the trilateral negotiation. The Chairperson of the AU Executive Council to assist progress proposed for the three countries to have a three clays bilateral meeting with the AU designated experts to be followed by the trilateral meeting and report the outcome to her office. While Ethiopia and Egypt agreed with the proposition, Sudan declined and compelled the closure of the meeting.
Be that as it may, different media institutions of the two countries, Sudan and Egypt, are disseminating fake news about Ethiopia, but no matter how huge the falsehood fabrications and fake news the two countries produce, Ethiopians will by no means be shocked and get confused.
As GERD is a flagship and problem resilient project for Ethiopians, the society at every corner of the country is always by the side of the government for their support and is waiting for the second phase of dam filling.
As the genuine talks will always bring meaningful conclusions, the three countries have to capitalize on it. Many agree on the fact that the AU-led GERD talks would bring solution sooner or later despite the diplomatic ploy being played by both downstream countries.
The Ethiopian herald January 12/2021