Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt Says GERD Dam Conflict Will Not Lead to Military Clash - Welcome

Date:Dec 15-2020

Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt Says GERD Dam Conflict Will Not Lead to Military Clash

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - Ethiopian Ambassador to Egypt Markos Tekle has ruled out the possibility of armed conflicts involving Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), in an interview with Sputnik.
"No, I don’t think that ... We can’t solve this problem by force, only by co-operation," Tekle said when asked if the current disagreement could escalate into a military clash.
The ambassador also expressed belief that an agreement between the sides could be reached by the middle of the next year.
"Now we are in December, we have six months, and we believe we can reach an agreement in the coming six months," the diplomat said.
Since 2011, the Ethiopian government has pushed ahead with the construction of the GERD on the Blue Nile River. The project, which is set to become Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant, is opposed by Egypt and Sudan over the concerns that the dam will affect their water security. The talks between the three countries, which have been trying to reach an agreement on the river's water distribution for over a decade, are being brokered by the African Union.