Egypt’s new ambassador to Ethiopia Mohamed Omar Gad presented his credentials to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

Gad stressed the importance of establishing cooperation between the two countries in light of Ethiopia’s connection to the Nile River, Egypt’s lifeline.

The diplomat presented a copy of his credentials to Feysel Alyie, the director-general of protocol affairs at the Ethiopian foreign ministry, a statement by the Ethiopian ministry said.

During their meeting, Alyie called on Egypt and Ethiopia to build upon their longstanding and historical ties to cooperate and utilise their shared natural resource.

The Egyptian ambassador, as quoted by the Ethiopian statement, appreciated the ongoing reform in Ethiopia and expressed his desire to cement the relationship between Cairo and Addis Ababa.

Gad was appointed as the new ambassador of Egypt to Addis Abba in June, replacing Osama Abdel-Khalek — who became Egypt’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York - after spending 3 years at the post.

The diplomat received his new position at a time when Egypt and Ethiopia remain at odds over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

For a decade, Egypt and Sudan have been in talks with Ethiopia to convince Addis Ababa to sign a legally binding agreement over the filling and operation of the  the GERD.

Ethiopia, however, has repeatedly refused to sign any binding deal, preferring instead to establish non-binding guidelines that can be modified at any time at its own discretion.

On Tuesday, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi slammed Ethiopia’s “intransigence” during years of tri-partite negotiations in a recorded speech delivered in front of the 76th United Nations General Assembly.