Today, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry addressed a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council to register Egypt’s objection and complete rejection of Ethiopia’s continued filling of the Renaissance Dam unilaterally without an agreement with Egypt and Sudan on filling and operating the dam, which is a clear violation of the 2015 Declaration of Principles agreement and a violation This is a grave breach of the applicable rules of international law, which obligate Ethiopia, as an upstream country, not to prejudice the rights of downstream countries..
Critical Egyptian messages to the Security Council about the Ethiopian dam
The Minister of Foreign Affairs indicated that during the negotiations that took place over the past years, Egypt had sought to reach a fair and equitable agreement on the Renaissance Dam, but that Ethiopia had thwarted all the efforts and endeavors that were made to resolve this crisis..
In his address to the Security Council, the Foreign Minister stressed Egypt’s adherence to the necessity of reaching an agreement on the Renaissance Dam that would achieve the common interests of the three countries, but that the Egyptian state would not tolerate any prejudice to its rights or water security or any threat to the capabilities of the Egyptian people, which represents the Nile River as the only lifeline. for him.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs called on the Security Council to assume its responsibilities in this regard, including by intervening to ensure the implementation of the presidential statement issued by the Council, which obligates the three countries to negotiate in order to reach an agreement on the Renaissance Dam at the earliest possible opportunity..
In this regard, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Egypt had received a letter from the Ethiopian side on July 26 stating that Ethiopia would continue filling the Renaissance Dam reservoir during the current flood season, a measure that Egypt rejects and considers in violation of the obligations imposed by international law on Ethiopia.
Egypt stresses its demand for Ethiopia to be responsible and comply with the rules of international law and the principles governing transnational waterways, foremost among which is avoiding significant damage, and holds it fully responsible for any significant harm to Egyptian interests that may result from Ethiopia’s violation of its aforementioned obligations..
The Arab Republic of Egypt also reserves its legitimate right guaranteed in the Charter of the United Nations to take all necessary measures to ensure and protect its national security, including against any risks that may be caused by Ethiopian unilateral measures in the future..