Diplomacy
Ethiopia Will Not Compromise Its Sovereign Water Rights, Says Professor Yacob Arsano
The Reporter (Amharic) · 2 weeks ago · Read the Full Story on The Reporter (Amharic)
AI SUMMARY
GERD negotiator and Nile researcher Professor Yacob Arsano asserts that Ethiopia will not surrender its sovereign right to water development under external pressure.
- Professor Yacob Arsano emphasizes that no nation, including China, can legitimately force Ethiopia to abandon its water development projects to satisfy Egyptian interests.
- Ethiopia is not a country that bows to external pressures from modern financial powers or indirect geopolitical tactics.
- The 2015 Declaration of Principles explicitly provides for Egypt and Sudan to have priority access to electricity from the GERD, an offer that remains open despite Egypt's lack of engagement.
- Egypt's recent diplomatic tactics, such as the 2+2 ministerial track, are simply a recycling of colonial-era agreements from 1929 and 1959.
- The Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) established the Nile Basin Commission in 2024 to move beyond zero-sum politics and foster equitable utilization.
- Ethiopia's plans for future dam construction, such as Mendaya, Mabil, and Kara Dobi, were envisioned as far back as 1964 and will be designed to minimize harm to downstream neighbors.
- Egypt does not want even a small pond built in Ethiopia, but Ethiopia will not allow itself to be held back in poverty and famine.
- The GERD serves as a motor for regional integration, with Ethiopia already exporting electricity to Sudan, Djibouti, and Kenya.
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