President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday that Egypt exerted strenuous and balanced efforts to break the stalemate in talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

El-Sisi was speaking at a meeting with heads of delegations taking part in the second Cairo Water Week, attended by irrigation minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati, among others.

The president expressed hope that an agreement would be reached to maintain the water resources of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, saying that the rivers flowing through the continent should be a source of brotherhood and prosperity, not a source of conflicts, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.

Egypt was keen to annually host the Cairo Water Week activities to spread awareness about water challenges and get acquainted with global initiatives applied on that score, he said.

The president further urged the need for sustainable and good planning of water resources to achieve water security.

The president also spoke of the Egyptian national plan on water resources, which he said was based on using the latest desalination techniques to increase the quantity of water.

The heads of delegations, meanwhile, praised Egypt's efforts to hold a constructive dialogue with other countries to ensure sustainability of water resources, especially on the African level.

They also applauded the role Egypt played to provide training courses and technical support for African cadres, especially from Nile Basin countries, in the field of water resources management.