President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Saturday said Egypt and Sudan have stressed Egypt, Sudan reaffirm inevitability of returning to serious negotiations on Renaissance Dam as soon as possible.
Such negotiations must reach a fair, balanced and legally binding agreement regarding the filling and operation of the dam before the upcoming flood season, in a manner that fulfils the interests of the three countries and strengthens the bonds of cooperation and integration between their peoples, Sisi added during a joint press conference with head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan .
The talks with Burhan have covered several files of common concern in the regional and international arenas, Sisi said.
They sought to unify the joint efforts between the two countries aimed at achieving stability on the Arab and African arenas within the framework of the close cooperation between the Egyptian and Sudanese national security agencies, he added.
The talks also dealt with developments in the negotiations of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam; a file that touches the core of vital interests of Egypt and Sudan as the two downstream countries in the Nile Basin, which will be directly affected by the project, the President said.
He stressed that the two countries reject any approach based on steps to impose a fait accompli in the Blue Nile through unilateral measures that do not take into account the interests and rights of the two downstream states, which was embodied in Ethiopia’s announcement of its intention to launch the second phase of filling the Renaissance Dam even if no agreement has been reached; a measure that may threaten serious damage to the interests of Egypt and Sudan.
President Sisi said that his talks in Sudan also mulled ways to relaunch the path of negotiations through the formation of an international quartet that gathers the African Union, the United States and the European Union, as well as the United Nations, to mediate in the negotiation process under a mechanism proposed by Sudan and supported by Egypt.
The proposed mechanism aims to support the efforts exerted by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and boost chances for the success of the negotiation track, Sisi added.
The President reaffirmed his full confidence in the ability of the Congolese president to manage negotiations and achieve a breakthrough to reach the desired agreement.
He described the development, stability and prosperity of the brotherly people of Sudan as an integral part of Egyptian national security.
Sisi said bilateral relations between Egypt and Sudan have witnessed a momentum over the past period after upgrading the level of coordination between the two governments through mutual visits as well as intensive and continuous consultations.
Those efforts aim to intensify political coordination between the two countries, and to implement projects in several vital areas, including electrical interconnection, railways, as well as commercial, cultural and scientific exchange, and cooperation in the fields of health, agriculture, industry, mining and other areas, to achieve the desired goal of integration between Egypt and, and exploit the huge potential of the two countries for the benefit of the two brotherly peoples, he added.
Sisi said his current visit to Sudan aims to show the two countries’ strong political will to develop an integrated strategic framework and a common vision for the various aspects and areas of cooperation, paving the way for a new phase of intense joint efforts that meets the interests and aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.
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