Back to the complete issue
Thursday, 4 August 2022

UAE says GERD solution “in reach”, calls for return to African Union talks

UAE is the latest to urge a negotiated solution for the GERD crisis: The UAE’s Mission to the UN said in a statement yesterday that it believes that a settlement to the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is “within reach” and called on Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to return to talks mediated by the African Union (AU), which it said must play an “essential role.”

The UAE coming out in support for the AU-led process is big: Egypt has been resolutely opposed to continuing negotiations mediated by the AU since Ethiopia unilaterally embarked on the second filling of the dam last year. Together with Sudan, Cairo has called for new mediators to be brought in to help find an agreement, an idea dismissed by Ethiopia, which wants to continue with the AU-led process. Other global powers, including the US, EU and the UN Security Council, have also insisted that the three countries should continue with the AU.

Has Egypt changed its tune? “The UAE … welcomes the commitment of the three countries to the AU-led negotiations, and encourages them to continue negotiating in good faith,” the statement read. Egypt hasn’t publicly come out in favor of returning to AU-led negotiations, and a new round of talks has not been announced.

The UAE’s intervention comes amid a flare-up in tensions between Egypt and Ethiopia, provoked by Addis Ababa’s recent decision to continue filling the reservoir for the third year running. Egypt last week protested the move at the UN Security Council and accused Ethiopia of breaking international law.

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.