The Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs hosted on July 22, 2020, a seminar to discuss the developments of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dossier, in cooperation with the Institute of Research and Strategic Studies of the Nile Basin Countries, Fayoum University. The seminar was attended by Their Excellencies Ambassadors: Marawan Badr; Mohamed Hegazy; Salah Halima; as well as Prof. Dr. Sayed Flaifal; Dr. Amani Al-Taweel; former Staff Major General Dr. Muhammad Abdul-Khalik Qashqosh; in addition to Dr. Ayman Abdel-Wahab; Dr.  Hany Raslan; Major General Khaled Mukhtar; and Counselor  Dr.  Mosaed Abdul Ati Shteiwi. This seminar was moderated by Ambassador Dr.  Ezzat Saad, Director of the Council; and Professor Adly Saadawy, Dean of the Institute of Research and Strategic Studies of the Nile Basin Countries, Fayoum University.

The seminar emphasized the priority of reaching a legally binding agreement on the rules for filling, operating and managing the dam, as a prerequisite for the ongoing negotiations; requiring strong Egyptian action based on the Washington document, provided that it reflects Egypt’s concerns and interests in a clear, disciplined and unambiguous manner. The participants agreed that in light of Ethiopia’s political history, its relations with its neighborhood and the historical legacy of its relations with Egypt and their repercussions, represented by the gap of distrust with Cairo, Egypt must adopt a sustainable program to dismantle the Ethiopian state. Particularly as the option of containment adopted by Egypt since 2011 has proven its failure, perhaps because the decision-maker has not been aware of the dimensions of the Ethiopian colonial project.

On the other hand, the participants emphasized that developing Egypt’s relations with Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Kenya has become a vital issue that should be given priority by the Egyptian foreign policy within its strategy for the next fifty years. The participants also called for considering the establishment of a permanent advisory council of specialized experts and academics concerned with African affairs to provide advice to the Egyptian decision-maker in coordination with the sovereign authorities on all current and future matters related to the Nile dossier, including Egypt’s relations with the Nile basin countries, the countries of the Horn of Africa and East Africa in general.