On the 13th and 14th of November 2017, a Delegation representing the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs (ECFA) paid a visit to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the Delegation held consultations with the Ethiopian Foreign Relations Strategic Studies Institute (EFRSSI). The Delegation included ECFA Executive Director, H.E. Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, together with two ECFA’s Board Members, H.E. Ambassador Marawan Badre and H.E. Ambassador Dr. Muhammad Badre El-Deen Zayed.
The Consultations Agenda included dealing with bilateral issues related to Nile Basin and An-Nahdah “Renaissance” Dam, as well as opportunities and areas of economic cooperation between the two countries.
The Agenda also addressed Regional Issues that included: Regional Cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the Horn of Africa Region, the Situation both in Africa and the Arab World, Terrorism Issues, being a common threat to both parties, and Egypt-Ethiopia Cooperation, with aim of contributing to the implementation of the African Union (AU)’s Development Agenda 2063.
The Consultations has lead to major Outcomes & Recommendations, the most prominent of which are as follows:
Interventions by Ethiopian side reiterated Ethiopia’s standpoint towards the most important subject issues that were on Agenda and raised in the Consultations between the Delegations of ECFA and EFRSSI, holding Egypt responsible for the historically strained relations, accusing Egypt of being behind all Ethiopia’s problems, be they internal or with Neighbouring States, and blaming Egypt for the low rates of economic and social development, attributing all of that to Egypt’s attempts to monopolize Nile Water, depriving Upper Nile States of benefiting from it.
In its interventions, the Ethiopian side presented its viewpoints on issues that were included in the Agenda and raised during Consultations between the Delegations of ECFA and EFRSS, echoing the same standpoints that have been previously repeated, in regard to the dossier of Nile Water, the An-Nahdhah “Renaissance” Dam among other matters.
On its part, the Egyptian side has delivered specific messages in response to what was raised by the Ethiopian side, reiterating that the dossier of Nile Water will remain a major concern to Egypt, for many decades to come, stressing the need for implementing an Integrated Strategy to deal with this dossier, either in light of previously-drawn Strategies, or based upon updating those Strategies in order to keep pace with National, Regional and International Variables.
