Egypt's Ambassador to Italy Bassam Rady Photo: (Al-Ahram)
Ambassador Rady’s remarks followed a claim by the head of the Ethiopian delegation that Addis Ababa “always welcomes the resumption of negotiations with Egypt at any time.”
The exchange took place during a global conference on water use hosted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, attended by the FAO director-general and senior officials from European countries, the European Union, and African nations.
Earlier in his address, Rady, who is also Egypt’s permanent representative to UN agencies in Italy, outlined Egypt’s efforts under President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to implement an integrated national strategy for managing and optimizing water resources, emphasizing the importance of maximizing the value of every drop amid growing scarcity.
He reviewed major national projects in wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, and the modernization of irrigation and agricultural systems across Egypt.
Rady contrasted these efforts with Ethiopia’s unilateral approach regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), noting that over 10 years of “strenuous negotiations” had failed to prompt Addis Ababa to follow the principles of international law needed to reach a legally binding agreement on the dam’s operation.
He stressed that Egypt’s water security is “a matter of existence,” warning that Ethiopia’s actions in the Eastern Nile Basin are illegal and threaten regional security and stability.
Echoing Minister Abdelatty
Rady’s remarks came hours after Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty rejected the use of the term “Renaissance” to describe the Ethiopian dam during an interview with Al Jazeera, calling it an illegal, unilateral project that violates international law.
Abdelatty warned that Cairo will use all means allowed under the UN Charter, including legitimate self-defence, if Egypt’s water security is harmed, which he described as an existential issue.
Asked about the possibility of a military solution, Abdelatty said the UN Charter permits states to exercise self-defence when their core interests are threatened.
“Undermining Egypt’s water interests and water security is an existential threat to the Egyptian people,” he said. “We cannot gamble the fate of the Egyptian people on unilateral claims, unilateral policies, or verbal promises.”
Abdelatty stressed that international law sets clear, binding rules for shared watercourses, including prior notification, cooperation, and the obligation not to cause harm.
He said Ethiopia has deliberately ignored these principles, pursuing unilateral measures while spreading misinformation and falsely claiming readiness for dialogue.
“We have tried negotiations for more than 13 years,” Abdelatty said. “Unfortunately, there has been neither seriousness nor good faith from the Ethiopian side, which used the negotiation framework to impose unilateral policies.”
He reaffirmed that Egypt rejects all unilateral actions and described the dam in its current form as “illegal and illegitimate.”
Abdelatty added that Egypt now recognizes the negotiation track has reached a dead end and retains its full right, under international law and the UN Charter, to protect its water rights and vital interests if they are threatened.
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