Egypt and Sudan consider water a national security matter: Sisi and Al-Burhan in joint statement

Ahram Online , Wednesday 30 Mar 2022

Egypt and Sudan announced on Wednesday they would continue consultation and coordination regarding the developments to do with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and that both nations consider water a matter of national security.

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Egypt s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in his meeting with Sudan s General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan

In a joint statement following talks between Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Sudan’s military leader Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan earlier on Wednesday in Cairo, the two countries reiterated their wish to reach a fair and legally binding agreement with Ethiopia on the filling and operation policies of the GERD that achieves the common interests of all parties.

In February, Ethiopia announced that it began generating power from the GERD, which Egypt condemned and described as another unilateral move by Addis Ababa. Both Cairo and Khartoum have been negotiating with Ethiopia for 10 years now to reach a legally binding agreement on the rules for filling and operating the GERD, but Addis Ababa has repeatedly refused to sign any such deal.

Concerning Libya, El-Sisi and Al-Burhan stressed on the importance of safeguarding Libya’s stability and the unity of its territories, and expressed their total support for reaching a Libyan-Libyan political solution without foreign dictates or interventions.

The two leaders also said that it is important that foreign forces exit Libya within a specific timeframe in accordance with UN resolutions, and that the 5+5 military committee should continue its work and all parties should to be committed to the ceasefire to protect Libya’s security and stability.

Regarding bilateral relations between Egypt and Sudan, both El-Sisi and Al-Burhan expressed their satisfaction with the current coordination between the two sides, asserting the importance of boosting economic relations and increasing commercial exchange.   

The two leaders also discussed maximising efforts to achieve agricultural integration as well as the railway and electrical interconnection between the two countries, as well as deepening cooperation on the security and military levels.

The statement also said that Egypt will continue to send aid packages and logistical and humanitarian support to Sudan, in addition to providing technical support and activating all bilateral cooperation programs.

El-Sisi and Al-Burhan also discussed the latest developments concerning the Sudanese community in Cairo, which is considered one of the oldest and biggest communities in Egypt, the statement said.

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