Egypt confirms taking all 'measures' to protect its water rights

Egypt has emphasized the need to take all necessary “measures” to protect its water rights, while reiterating its rejection of unilateral actions in the Eastern Nile Basin. During a coordination meeting between Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam, the two ministers affirmed that Egypt “will take all measures guaranteed to it under international law to protect its rights and the existential capacities of its people.”

The ministers discussed ways to strengthen Egypt’s relations with Nile Basin countries, advance cooperative development programs, and expand the scope of Egyptian projects and initiatives aimed at supporting development and water security across the African continent. They also addressed the coordination of Egypt’s positions and actions on water issues at both regional and international levels.

In a joint statement issued by the Cabinet, they stressed that safeguarding Egypt’s water security “does not conflict with the aspirations of our brothers for development,” and that the Nile River is “a shared water resource that must be managed in accordance with international law, particularly the principle of no significant harm and the obligation to cooperate through prior notification, consultation, and agreement.”

The dispute between Cairo and Addis Ababa stems from a nearly 15-year-long conflict over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Ethiopia has constructed on a tributary of the Nile. Egypt fears the dam will affect its water allocation.

Tensions between the two countries have recently escalated, marked by reciprocal media statements, including the latest call by former Ethiopian Water Minister Chevee Garso for his government to demand compensation from Egypt for its use of Nile waters.