Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Addis Ababa Sunday for the fifth session of the joint Egyptian-Ethiopian committee to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

Shoukri told state news agency MENA the sessions reflect the will on both sides to maintain intensive communication channels between the countries and strengthen cooperative ties.

The two countries have been embroiled since last year in disagreement over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia, but have recently started a process to resolve points of contention between them.

Egypt is worried the dam would have a negative effect on its share of Nile waters.

The meetings in the Ethiopian capital are taking place according to prior agreement between Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn who met in June in Equatorial Guinea during the African Summit and underlined the importance of mutual relations.

Shoukri said the session, which is to last two days, will cover political, cultural and economic issues. Several Egyptian ministers will attend the talks.

He added that progress on the dam issue will be discussed in the meetings.

A tripartite committee was formed to choose an international consultancy to analyse the dam's impact and produce a report that will be central in determining the course of negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on the issue.

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