Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi confirmed during his meeting with ministers and the heads of African delegations participating in the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, that Egypt's stance remains firm on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam issue, clarifying that Cairo faces no problems with Ethiopia apart from the essential need not to infringe on its Nile water rights and to reach a legally binding agreement regarding the dam.
El-Sisi said: "Egypt faces no issue with our brothers in Ethiopia, our only demand is not to compromise our rights to the Nile waters, and to reach a legally binding agreement regarding the Ethiopian dam."
He added: "Egypt’s policy is steady; we do not interfere in the affairs of states nor aim to destabilize them, and despite our disagreement with Ethiopia we have not directed any threat towards them, believing that disputes should be resolved through dialogue."
During the interactive dialogue with the African ministers, El-Sisi emphasized the importance of infrastructure as a cornerstone for stability on the continent, saying: "Strong infrastructure in Africa is the foundation for reducing conflicts and advancing progress (…) Military solutions are not the way out of crises, but rather political ones."
He explained that the continent possesses vast underutilized resources, pointing out that: "Lack of stability represents the biggest hurdle against attracting investments (...) The quantities of rainfall in Africa exceed its needs, but managing it efficiently is the real challenge."
The official spokesman for the presidency stated that the meeting discussed ways to enhance developmental cooperation among African countries, in addition to Egypt’s support for capacity building programs, and joint utilization of transboundary resources in accordance with international law rules.
On their part, the participating African ministers praised Egypt’s role in supporting stability on the continent, appreciating what they described as “President El-Sisi’s personal effort” in enhancing development, and confirming their eagerness to deepen cooperation with Cairo in the next phase.
