Back to the complete issue
Tuesday, 22 October 2019

Shoukry calls for Russian mediation on GERD ahead of El Sisi’s meeting with Abiy Ahmed

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are set to meet on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit this week to discuss the impasse over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Echoing Egypt’s request for international mediation, an editorial in the National yesterday calls on the two sides to work with allies to resolve the dispute and avoid a “potentially catastrophic” escalation. Ethiopia has so far rejected proposals to bring in a mediator.

FM says Russia could help with GERD: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told RIA Novosti news agency yesterday that Russia could be the country to step in and help mediate the dispute due to its good relations with all three countries involved. Ittihadiya spokesman Bassem Rady previously said that it was hoped that the US would play an “instrumental role” in solving the dispute.

What the foreign press is saying about the summit: Reuters and the Associated Press are out with articles framing the summit in terms of great-power politics. The two-day event, which kicks-off in Sochi tomorrow, is a vehicle for Russia to step up economic and military ties with African states in a bid to compete with its Western rivals and China, they suggest. “For Moscow, the prize is greater political influence on a continent with 54 United Nations member states, sprawling mineral wealth, and potentially lucrative markets for Russian-manufactured weapons,” Tom Balmforth and Andrew Osborn write for Reuters. Cara Anna highlights in the AP the US’ dwindling engagement with the continent, a policy decision on which Russia is trying to capitalize.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.