During the meeting, FM Abdelatty praised the PCA’s pioneering role as the world’s first international arbitration institution, according to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
He highlighted the strong relations and longstanding cooperation between Egypt and the court’s secretariat and arbitration panels, noting that many Egyptian arbitrators have taken part in its work over the years.
The minister emphasized Egypt’s extensive experience in international arbitration and expressed support for the PCA’s efforts to settle investment disputes.
For his part, Czepelak expressed appreciation for Egypt’s role, describing it as a key country in the region and a gateway to Africa, the Middle East, and the southern Mediterranean.
He stated that strengthening cooperation with Egypt is a priority for the PCA as it seeks to expand its international reach, citing Egypt’s prominent regional and global standing and its leadership in mediation and peaceful dispute settlement.
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly also met with Czepelak on Tuesday evening at the government headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.
Madbouly reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to support the PCA’s work, stressing the country’s belief in arbitration as a peaceful tool for resolving disputes and promoting investment, protecting rights, and maintaining stability.
Egypt’s warning to Ethiopia
The meetings come weeks after Abdelatty warned that Egypt would consider international arbitration to resolve the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Ethiopia built on the main tributary of the Nile River.
He voiced doubt, however, that Addis Ababa would accept such a move.
Speaking at a high-level UN General Assembly debate in New York in September, Abdelatty accused Ethiopia of violating international law and “imposing a fait accompli” through unilateral actions in the Horn of Africa and the Eastern Nile Basin, after declaring the completion of the dam.
He said Ethiopia was “dreaming, or rather delusional,” if it thought Egypt would ever give up its rights and vital interests in the Nile River.
Abdelatty added that Egypt was ready to address the issue through international judicial or arbitration mechanisms “if there is genuine intent to submit to such mechanisms,” but questioned Ethiopia’s willingness to do so.
He warned that if Ethiopia continued to delay and threaten the lives of millions in downstream countries, Egypt would defend its rights, as guaranteed by the UN Charter and international law.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration
Founded in 1899 under the Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, the PCA is the world’s oldest institution for international dispute resolution.
Based in The Hague, the Netherlands, it provides services for arbitration, conciliation, and fact-finding in disputes involving states, intergovernmental organizations, and private entities.
Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which hears only cases between states, the PCA serves as an administrative framework for arbitral tribunals composed of independent arbitrators chosen by the disputing parties.
Egypt has been a member since 1900, and Egyptian jurists have long taken part in its panels.
The PCA handles cases related to territorial and maritime boundaries, investment disputes, environmental issues, and treaty interpretation. Notable examples include Philippines v. China (South China Sea arbitration), Netherlands v. Russia (Arctic Sunrise), and India v. Pakistan (Indus Waters Treaty).
The India–Pakistan case before the PCA
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, brokered by the World Bank, governs the sharing of the Indus River system between India and Pakistan.
The treaty has survived several wars but has recently come under strain due to hydroelectric projects undertaken by India on the western rivers (Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab), which Pakistan argues violate the treaty's provisions.
In 2022, Pakistan requested the PCA to establish a Court of Arbitration to examine technical design questions related to India's Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir. India objected to this process, arguing that the issues should instead be resolved through a neutral expert mechanism under the treaty.
Despite India's non-participation, the PCA constituted the Court of Arbitration in 2023 and held proceedings in The Hague, and in July 2023, the court rejected India's objections, affirming its jurisdiction to hear the case.
The arbitration is ongoing, with the PCA expected to issue findings on whether India's hydropower designs comply with the treaty's parameters concerning water flow, dam structure, and reservoir storage.
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