The foreign and irrigation ministers of Egypt and Sudan confirmed in a joint statement following their meeting today in Cairo that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam violates international law, has serious consequences for the downstream countries, and represents a continuous threat to stability in the Eastern Nile Basin according to international law.

The joint statement, as published by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its official website today, stated: “The Renaissance Dam issue remains a problem among the three countries: Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia,” clarifying that Egypt and Sudan reject any attempts to involve other basin countries in this contentious issue.

The statement called on Ethiopia to amend its policy in the Eastern Nile Basin to restore cooperation among basin countries.

According to the statement, the Egyptian and Sudanese sides emphasized that their water security is inseparable and reaffirmed their complete rejection of any unilateral moves in the Eastern Nile Basin that could harm their water interests.

They confirmed enhancing consultation and coordination and continuing their joint efforts to work with the Nile Basin Initiative countries to restore consensus and maintain it as a comprehensive cooperation mechanism that includes all basin countries and represents a cornerstone of water cooperation benefiting all its members.

The two sides also agreed on the necessity of securing water security for the Nile River’s downstream countries and joint work to preserve the full water rights and uses of both countries according to the legal regime governing the Nile River within the principle of a community of shared interests and equality of rights, in accordance with international law and the 1959 agreement between the two countries, coordinating and fully aligning positions in various regional and international forums, especially those related to the water rights of the two countries.

It is worth noting that all efforts and negotiations between the three countries over the past years have failed to reach any solution to the Renaissance Dam issue, which Ethiopia began constructing in 2011, and it is considered one of the most prominent regional issues threatening the water security of Egypt and Sudan.