Ethiopia: The conditions of Sudan and Egypt are unfair and we will not accept a treaty dating back to the colonial era
Ethiopia | Times Of Sudan
Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demiki Mekonnen said that exerting unnecessary pressure on his country through a deliberate approach of politicization and internationalization of issues related to the Renaissance Dam would not make Addis Ababa accept the colonial era treaty on the Nile River.
Demiki’s statement came, on Thursday, during the opening speech of an online discussion hosted by the Ethiopian Embassy in London, and organized by the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the Ethiopian missions in Europe, according to what was reported by the Ethiopian News Agency (INA) on Friday.
Demiki said that politicization or sabotage should not guide the policies on the waters of the Nile, but that enhancing cooperation, understanding and integration should be the guiding spirit.
He added that the negotiations on the Renaissance Dam provide this opportunity, if Egypt and Sudan follow a constructive approach to achieve a result in which the two sides will be winners within the framework of the ongoing process led by the African Union, as he put it.
He stressed that exerting unnecessary pressure on Ethiopia through deliberate politicization and internationalization of the matter would not make Ethiopia accept the colonial era treaty on the waters of the Nile River.
Demiki explained that Ethiopia will never agree to such unfair conditions, which seek to preserve the water hegemony of Egypt and Sudan.
Yilma Seleshi, one of the members of the Ethiopian team in the negotiations on the dam, said in the discussion that Sudan and Egypt are keen to reach an agreement to share water instead of dealing with specific cases related to the GERD.
He added that Ethiopia is not ready to sign an agreement that would harm development endeavors for future generations.
Egypt and Sudan are calling for the participation of a quadripartite international mediation mechanism, including the African Union, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations, in the stalled negotiations on the Renaissance Dam, which Ethiopia rejects.
