Sisi to meet with Ethiopian PM in Addis Ababa

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Monday during the African Summit, held at the African Union headquarters in Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Abu Bakr Hanafy, Egyptian ambassador to Ethiopia, said both Egypt and Ethiopia were able to surpass the tensions in their bilateral ties after accusations levelled by Ethiopian officials against Egypt for supporting the opposition as well as the unrest that occurred in Ethiopia last summer.

Upon arrival on Sunday evening to Addis Ababa, Sisi will meet with leaders of Kenya and Congo-Brazzaville to discuss boosting bilateral ties with Egypt as well as African issues on the agenda of the summit.

In remarks to Egyptian journalists in Addis Ababa, Hanafy said the confidence established between the two countries since the takeover of Sisi helped exceeding the crisis through communications that took place away from media.

Regarding the Renaissance Dam, Hanafy said the consultancy works of the dam started coinciding with the beginning of the technical committee’s work on carrying out the Khartoum Declaration of Principles.

He added that Egypt expects a response from Ethiopia, indicating that the issue has solutions within respecting the Ethiopian sovereignty as well as Egypt’s share of the Nile water.

He expects Egyptian-Ethiopian ties to push forward over the coming period of time especially in light of the membership of Egypt, Ethiopia and Senegal in the UN security council as non-permanent members representing Africa.

Hanafy welcomed the appointment of an Ethiopian ambassador to Egypt.

In 2011, Ethiopia started construction on the Renaissance Dam over the Blue Nile River, one of the major sources of the water that later forms the River Nile downstream.

The dam is expected to be ready by 2017. Ethiopians see as is a great national project and a means of overcoming poverty.

Egypt fears the dam will affect its historic Nile water share of 55 billion square meters, which it has had access to since a 1959 agreement with Sudan. Ethiopia, meanwhile, has frequently reassured Cairo that its water share will not be affected.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm