The Ethiopian Ambassador in Cairo Mahmoud Dreier said explicitly that Ethiopia will build another dam after the Grand Renaissance Dam is completed.
Dreier said -while Speaking on Egypt’s Al- Nahar TV channel- that his country cooperates with any entity to achieve its goals, but not at the expense of any state, adding that the new generation in Egypt and Ethiopia should know that the Nile is not the monopoly of any state.
He continued, “The Nile river is a gift for Egypt and its people, and the relationship between Ethiopia and Egypt should not be reduced to the Nile waters,” adding that Ethiopia will not discuss with Egypt or any country whether it should build the dam or not.
The Ethiopian ambassador also stressed that stopping the dam construction was nonnegotiable and was not on the table for discussion.
Drier also criticized some Egyptian newspapers, saying that they have exceeded the line in their approach to the dam issue.
At an earlier time, the Ethiopian Communication Affairs Minister, Getachew Reda, has stated harsh statements when he said in March that his country almost completed 70% of the construction of the hydro power Renaissance Dam.
In an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, the Ethiopian minister replied when asked about the Renaissance Dam crisis with Egypt saying, “Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt have agreed on the technical committees. Furthermore, we haven’t promised to stop construction work pending the completion of technical studies.” He added that although these committees are specialized in studying whether the dam would harm Sudan or Egypt, they don’t decide whether Ethiopia will build the dam or not. Reda stressed that “The dam will not harm the interests of Sudan or Egypt. “The Egyptians finally understood that it is necessary to reach some kind of understanding, which compels us to work together,” he said.
Reda stated that the Renaissance Dam became a reality, “No matter what happens, things will not change. The dam has become a reality. The people of the three countries will benefit from it,” he said. He also added that some (parties) believe that they will be harmed by it, and then this is not Ethiopia’s problem.
Accordingly, Ethiopia will not retreat from building the Renaissance Dam and it also has other projects and plans around the river Nile that it will adopt regardless of any obstacles that may stand in its way.
