Mohamed Nasr El-Din Allam former Egyptian water resources and irrigation minister
Speaking in a phone-in interview with Egyptian media, Allam said international law set out two fundamental requirements for countries sharing a river system: prior notification and an obligation not to cause significant harm.
The first requires a country to inform its neighbours of plans to build a dam, including its proposed location and project details, Allam said, adding that this was an obligation Ethiopia must observe with all its neighbours, not only Egypt.
The second requires Ethiopia to ensure its projects do not adversely affect other countries that share the same river system, he said.
Allam's remarks were in response to comments by Ethiopian Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa, reported by Saudi news website Al Arabiya, that Nile flows to Egypt and Sudan would be "under Ethiopia's control," and calling for the construction of additional dams.
Allam said Egypt had previously rejected plans for additional major dams on the Blue Nile because of their potential impact on downstream water flows. Similar proposals had surfaced periodically over the decades, he said, particularly during periods of domestic or regional instability.
Downstream countries Egypt and Sudan have been at odds with upstream Ethiopia for more than a decade over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Addis Ababa has built, filled and operated unilaterally.
Addis Ababa, which considers the dam essential to its development and power generation, has built, filled and operated it unilaterally.
Cairo and Khartoum have repeatedly called for an agreement governing the dam's filling and operation, particularly during periods of drought.
Ethiopia, however, formally inaugurated the GERD in September 2025.
Ethiopia completed five filling stages between 2020 and 2024 without reaching a binding operating agreement with Egypt and Sudan.
Allam said Egypt's position was not one of opposition to Ethiopian development, but a demand that Ethiopia respect the interests of downstream states.
Egypt, he further noted, has never been opposed to Ethiopian development or to the construction of dams for power generation, Allam said, but such projects should be coordinated with Egypt and Sudan, particularly where their operation could affect downstream water flows.
"Egypt will not, under any circumstances, allow its citizens' water security to be threatened," Allam said, according to remarks broadcast on Egyptian television.
He said Ethiopia could pursue smaller hydropower projects that would not carry the same risks to downstream countries that he associated with large reservoirs.
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