Sisi: Egypt Will Not Compromise Its Water Security or Accept Fait Accompli

Cairo – Khadija Hamouda: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi stated that Egypt faces a specific water challenge due to its geographical nature and its primary reliance on the Nile River, which provides more than 98% of its renewable water resources. He noted that with the growing population and increasing water and food needs, as well as the escalating impacts of climate change, Cairo continues to work on improving water use efficiency, developing its resources, and maximizing their utilization.

In a recorded address during the opening of the ninth edition of the “Cairo Water Week” yesterday, President el-Sisi said, “Since the dawn of history, one of the greatest human civilizations has flourished on the banks of the Nile in Egypt. The Nile has been the foundation of stability and the driver of development and prosperity. For Egypt, it has never been merely a river; it remains its lifeblood and a bridge for communication and cooperation among peoples.”

He emphasized that water issues hold a high priority on Egypt’s foreign policy agenda, serving as a driver for cooperation and shared prosperity, rather than as a political tool to fuel conflicts and disputes.

President el-Sisi pointed out that water security has become a shared responsibility requiring genuine international cooperation, mobilization of funding, technology transfer, and capacity building.

He added, “Egypt places great importance on enhancing water cooperation based on respect for relevant rules of international law at both the African and Arab levels. It is keen on exchanging expertise and developing projects and partnerships that serve our peoples.”

He stressed that any bet on Egypt accepting a fait accompli or compromising its water security is a losing one. He affirmed Egypt’s respect for and support of the right of all Nile Basin countries to development, noting that practical experience has proven that prior notification, exchange of studies, and consultation are practical tools that support moving forward in mobilizing funding for projects, building trust, and safeguarding the interests of all parties. These are not means to obstruct development or impose suzerainty over any country. This experience confirms that genuine cooperation is possible when there is political will, which is the approach Egypt seeks to consolidate in the Eastern Nile Basin as well, in a manner that serves the interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

He continued, “Every country has the right to development and to benefit from its natural resources, provided it exercises this right responsibly without harming other countries or undermining their water security. The fact that a river’s sources lie within a country’s territory does not grant it the right to unilateral control over a resource shared by multiple peoples.”