Addis Abeba, August 26/2021 – Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia met today (August 26) with Ambassadors of the member states of the United Nations Security Council.
DPM Demeke called on the ambassadors to reject the draft resolution submitted by Tunisia on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Present at the meeting, Dr. Sileshi Bekele, Minister of Water, Irrigation, and Energy of Ethiopia, briefed the ambassadors on the status of the construction of the Renaissance Dam and the content of the draft resolution submitted to the Security Council by Tunisia. He said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is a development project and should not be considered by the Security Council.
Recalling that the case was referred to the Security Council in July 2021, Dr. Seleshi said a direction was set for the three countries to continue the tripartite talks held by the African Union and reach a solution
Recalling that the case was referred to the Security Council in July 2021, Dr. Sleshi said a direction was set for the three countries to continue the tripartite talks held by the African Union and reach a solution. He said that it is inappropriate for Tunisia to refer back the resolution to the Council since it violates Ethiopia’s right to use its natural resources and maliciously tries to advance the unjust interests of the downstream countries.
He called on Sudan and Egypt to abandon the status quo and the so-called “historical right” over the Nile River basin and refrain from unnecessarily politicizing and internationalizing the matter.
The Minister urged the international community to influence the downstream states to continue participating in the AU-led negotiation and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Framework Agreement.
He added that the Democratic Republic of the Congo is preparing to incorporate the ideas of the three countries and reach an agreement that will benefit all parties.
Finally, Mr. Demeke said Ethiopia is committed to reaching an agreement in the trilateral talks to be held under the auspices of the African Union and called on the member states to reject the draft resolution submitted to the Council by Tunisia. MoFA
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