Khaberni - Egypt denied on Tuesday evening media reports that it was prepared to grant Ethiopia maritime access to the Red Sea in exchange for Ethiopian flexibility concerning the Renaissance Dam, stating that these claims are "completely devoid of truth".
The official Egyptian Middle East news agency, quoting a responsible source, categorically denied the circulated reports about Egypt's readiness to grant Ethiopia Red Sea access in exchange for Ethiopian flexibility on its stance regarding the Ethiopian dam.
The source affirmed that Cairo's position on the issue of water security and the Renaissance Dam is "fixed and unchanged", and is based on adherence to the rules of international law, rejection of unilateral actions, and protection of Egypt’s water share, while preserving the full rights of the downstream countries, consistent with international norms.
He emphasized that the governance and security of the Red Sea are exclusively restricted to the littoral states, as it is a strategic corridor directly linked to the national security of those countries, and it is not permissible to involve non-littoral states in any arrangements or understandings related to it, in reference to Egypt's rejection of any role for Ethiopia, as a landlocked country.
Maritime access
From time to time, Addis Ababa reiterates official statements affirming its need for maritime access, which Cairo persistently rejects for any non-littoral states of the Red Sea.
In this context, during the opening of the African Summit in Addis Ababa on February 14, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated his country's pursuit of maritime access, which provoked criticism in the Egyptian media.
Also, on February 16, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty confirmed the rejection by his country of any attempts by external parties to impose themselves in the Red Sea governance arrangements, stressing that this responsibility is exclusively for the littoral states.
These developments occur amidst the ongoing dispute between Egypt and Sudan on one side, and Ethiopia on the other, regarding the filling and operation of the Renaissance Dam, which construction began in 2011.
Cairo and Khartoum demand reaching a tripartite binding legal agreement that regulates the filling and operation processes, in a way that protects the water security of the downstream countries.
On the other hand, Ethiopia believes that operating the dam does not necessitate signing a binding agreement, asserting that it does not intend to harm the interests of any other country, which led to the freezing of negotiations for 3 years, before resuming them in 2023 and then being frozen again in 2024.
