What is the message of Ethiopia from inviting Egypt and Sudan to the opening ceremony of the Renaissance Dam? | policy

Special for Al Jazeera Net

Addis Ababa – On a balcony overlooking the widespread lobby of the Ethiopian Parliament, it was devoted to reporters, the preparations were taking place in a swing, in preparation for covering the last parliamentary session for the current Ethiopian year 2017, in which the budget for next year will be approved next September.

Abroad, the roads leading to the parliament building were crowded with the crowds of vehicles, especially diplomatic cars, as it is allowed in the open sessions in which the Prime Minister participates, in the presence of ambassadors and representatives of international organizations based in Addis Ababa, as well as religious leaders and public figures.

The headquarters of Parliament is located in the (Arat Kilo) region, which is the heart of the political and administrative neighborhood in the capital, Addis Ababa. The building was built during the reign of Emperor Haila Silasi in the 1950s, and it features a high tower topped with a square hour of four sides, similar to its lighthouse design.

The main entrance to the building was filled with federal policemen who were lined up to secure the place, while the lobby of the inner hall seemed to be crowded with deputies and officials who exchanged conversations waiting for the session to start, scheduled at three o’clock in the afternoon, Ethiopian time, corresponding to nine in the morning Mecca time.

This parliamentary session held yesterday, Thursday, July 3, was marked by the participation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed, which represents before Parliament every three months to review the performance of his government and answer the questions of deputies on various political, security and economic issues witnessed in the country.

The Prime Minister started his speech by submitting a comprehensive presentation of the government’s performance, taking several axes, most notably the conditions of health, education and housing, in addition to infrastructure projects, as well as touched on the economic situation, debt review plans, as well as the gas production file and the performance of the agricultural sector, in addition to Ethiopia’s relations with neighboring countries.

However, the developments of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project are the biggest event. Abi Ahmed announced that his country will officially open the dam next September, taking an invitation to Egypt and Sudan to participate in the opening ceremony, and describing the dam as a symbol of blessing and mutual benefit, and not a source of conflict or threat.

There was no official reaction to Egypt and Sudan until the moment regarding the Ethiopian call.

History of the dam

The foundation stone for the Renaissance Dam was laid on April 2, 2011, and it was scheduled to be completed by 2017, but the project faced several years of challenges and obstacles that caused delay in completing it several times, as a result of financial, technical, administrative and security difficulties.

Speaking to parliamentarians, the Prime Minister stressed that the Renaissance Dam did not affect the water flows to the High Dam, stressing that Egypt did not lose one liter of its share due to the Renaissance Dam, expressing his country’s readiness to dialogue with Egypt and Sudan at any time, with the aim of ensuring the interests of all parties and achieving joint development.

Regarding fears of the effect of the Renaissance Dam during the droughts, Abi Ahmed explained that the drought is also hitting Ethiopia itself, noting that his country launched the green fingerprint initiative to counter climate change and stimulate rainfall, which would enhance water stocks in dams inside Ethiopia as well as in Egypt and Sudan.

Parliament supports Abi Ahmed’s invitation

Commenting on the prime minister’s statements, the Ethiopian parliamentary deputy, Mohamed Al -Arousi, said that the prime minister’s speech carried messages to reassuring the Egyptian and Sudanese peoples, who have always been depicted by the Renaissance Dam as an existential threat, indicating in a statement to Al -Jazeera Net, that Abi Ahmed’s confirmation of the lack of a single drop of water flows to the High Dam is evidence that Cairo’s concerns were not justified, and that Ethiopia has committed to its promise Damage to Egypt and Sudan.

Al -Arousi pointed out that the call of Egypt and Sudan to participate in the celebrations of the opening of the Renaissance Dam, represents a step worthy of a careful reading in its geopolitical dimensions and its repercussions on the future of relations between the three countries, stressing that this call does not represent a shift in the Ethiopian discourse, but rather an extension of previous situations, but it has been submerged by the charged media discourse that prevailed in the past years.

For his part, the Ethiopian writer Ali Omar considered that Prime Minister Abi Ahmed’s readiness to negotiate the Renaissance Dam reflects the conviction that the continuation of the dispute over the Nile water constitutes an obstacle to development, noting in his talk to Al -Jazeera Net, that Abi Ahmed put the ball in the Cairo stadium, wondering whether Egypt will pick up this message and open a new page of collective understandings about the Nile River away from what he called the policy of monopoly.

Ali Omar explained that (Anteby’s Agreement) entered into force, which pave the way to build a new legal platform to share the water of the Nile more just and transparent, stressing that the partnership between all the Nile Basin countries represents a better strategic choice than entering into open confrontations that do not serve the interests of any party, especially in light of the common challenges facing the pelvic countries, such as climate change and population growth.

The negotiations of the Renaissance Dam began since the inauguration of the project in April 2011, and resulted in the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Khartoum in 2015, but the differences later intensified on the rules of filling and operating the dam, and despite the attempts of regional and international mediation since 2019, the negotiations were not achieved any penetration, and actually stopped after the Kinshasa tour in April 2021.