The letter follows recent statements by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on his country’s unilateral steps related to the fifth filling of the GERD – which commenced in July – and the future operation of its turbines despite the lack of agreement with downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.

Egypt’s top diplomat also noted that the Ethiopian PM’s recent remarks are “completely unacceptable to Egypt,” according to a statement by the foreign ministry.

Abdelatty affirmed in the letter that the Ethiopian unilateral policies represent a breach of international law, and the Declaration of Principles Agreement signed between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in 2015.

“These actions represent a continuation of Ethiopia’s problematic approach, which raises unrest with its neighbours and jeopardises regional stability,” read the statement.

Such policies are at odds with the aspiration of most regional countries “to enhance cooperation and integration among themselves, instead of sowing seeds of strife and differences between peoples bound by ties of brotherhood and common destiny,” the statement added.

Abdelatty further said that Ethiopia's actions also violate the 2021 UNSC presidential statement, in which the UNSC urged observers of previous GERD negotiations to be involved in further dam talks.

He pointed out that Egypt halted its negotiations with Ethiopia over GERD following 13 years of Egyptian sincere efforts due to Addis Ababa's lack of genuine political will to resolve the issue.

“It became apparent that Addis Ababa only intended to use negotiations as a cover to create a fait accompli without genuine political will to resolve the issue,” explained the statement.

Egypt’s top diplomat stressed that Ethiopia’s efforts to justify its unilateral policies that contradict international law by claiming they are rooted in the right to development are baseless.

He reaffirmed Egypt's unwavering support for development efforts in the Nile Basin but stressed that such progress should be achieved through cooperative practices in line with international law, rather than harming others or disrupting regional integration.

Furthermore, Abdelatty emphasised that Ethiopia’s illegal policies will negatively impact downstream countries Egypt and Sudan.

Abdelatty reiterated to the UNSC that Egypt is closely following the GERD developments and is fully prepared to take all necessary measures to protect its interests and people as outlined by the UN Charter to protect its interests and people.

Last week, Egypt's Supreme Committee for Nile Water (SCNW), led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, reaffirmed Egypt’s right to safeguard its water security and take necessary measures to achieve this on various levels.

The committee also considered ways to boost cooperation in the Nile Basin, reflecting Egypt's belief in combining efforts to secure funding for development projects in the region.

This approach, which aligns with internationally agreed cooperative practices, aims to promote prosperity and avoid the tensions and poverty that could arise from uncooperative Ethiopian policies, the Egyptian foreign ministry’s statement read.

In Monday’s remarks, the Ethiopian PM said that the GERD construction would be fully completed by December. He added that three turbines of the dam are scheduled to be operational by December, bringing the total number of turbines to seven.

He said that the total water stored in the dam's reservoir has reached 62.5 billion cubic metres, revealing his country’s plan to withhold an additional portion of Blue Nile water to increase the reservoir storage to 70-71 billion cubic metres also by December.

Over the past three years, Addis Ababa unilaterally completed four phases of filing the disputed dam and put two turbines into operation despite the absence of agreement with downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan.

For more than a decade of negotiations, Egypt and Sudan have been seeking a legally binding agreement governing the filling and operating of the GERD that ensures their water security and own dams' safety along with the interests of Ethiopia.

Egypt, which relies mainly on the Nile for its water needs, fears that the GERD will harm the country’s already scarce water supply.