Back to the complete issue
Wednesday, 24 March 2021

Around the World on 24 March 2021

Egypt and Jordan will work on telecoms, energy, trade, housing, and archaeology projects after signing seven agreements during Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s visit to Amman yesterday to attend the Egyptian-Jordanian Joint Higher Committee meetings, according to a cabinet statement. Madbouly discussed with Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and continued diplomatic efforts in reaching a two state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to a separate statement.

Ethiopia will continue with plans to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the upcoming rainy season, and “has absolutely no desire whatsoever to cause harm to Egypt nor to Sudan,” Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in an address to the Ethiopian House of Representatives Tuesday. In a separate statement, Ahmed said the country would lose USD 1 bn if it lets the rainy season pass without filling the dam, and that despite opposition, the dam “will be completed as promised.”

Meanwhile, Sudan is backing an initiative by the UAE to mediate the GERD impasse and other border disputes with Ethiopia, Information Minister Hamza Baloul said, according to Reuters. Ethiopia has expressed opposition to a plan put forward by Sudan and Egypt to involve international mediators in stalled talks on the filling and operation of the dam.

IN DIPLOMACY: The conflicts in Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as the revival of Israeli‑Palestinian peace talks were on the agenda for Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Alaa Roushdi and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, according to a statement.

Saudi truce proposal rejected by Yemen rebels: Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched air raids on Houthi camps in Yemen’s capital Sana’a yesterday, hours after a Saudi peace proposal was rejected by the rebel group, according to Bloomberg.

The US and the EU may start working more closely to contain China’s rise: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will meet with EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell today to relaunch the US-EU China dialogue, a group set up last year to coordinate responses to China on security and human rights issues, the Financial Times reports, quoting people in the know.

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.