UNSC Supports AU Led Negotiation Process on GERD: MoFA

September 17, 2021

 BY HAILE DEMEKE

ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia (MoFA) announced that UNSC supported trilateral negation led by the AU so as to reach agreement and the council has understood the issue of the dam as developmental issue not security threat.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Ambassador Dina Mufti said that Tunisia referred the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam GERD to the UNSC and the council has taken the dam as developmental issue.

The council underlined the GERD is developmental issue and the disagreement on the dam need to be resolved by the three parties under the auspices of AU. Tunisia’s unfair stance on the GERD is failed to accept by the council and UNSC affirmed that the issue of the dam solved by the three countries Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt under the auspices of AU.

Regarding to the meeting of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Demeke Mekonnen and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula, he said that They discussed ways to resume the GERD talks and DRC appreciated Ethiopia’s resolution and commitment to solve the GERD issues with AU-led tripartite negotiation. The minister would hold discussion with the Sudan and Egypt officials, he added.

Ethiopia is committed in equitable and reasonable utilization of the resource and Congo also lauded Ethiopia’s position and commitment on AU-led trilateral talks in a reasonable use of the water.

Ethiopia believed that the AU-led process discussions should be the only avenue for negotiations between the three countries so as to bring amicable solutions. The issue is not a security threat rather it is developmental issue and most of the member states understand as the project is developmental project.

On the other hand , Dina stated that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) delegation met with the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the activities carried out in investigating alleged human rights issues in the Northern Part of Ethiopia. The joint investigation process has been finalized and the final report will be released in coming November.

The Ethiopian Herald September 17/2021