The leaders of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have agreed to continue their cooperation in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project (GERD) following a meeting at the end of January.
To make further progress on outstanding GERD issues and nurture tripartite relations, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, President Omar al- Bashir and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, agreed that: the heads of state would meet on an annual basis going forward; would explore a mechanism for the establishment of a tripartite fund aimed at enhancing cooperation through the realisation of common infrastructure projects connecting the three countries; and would establish a permanent technical committee to discuss all issues related to the GERD, specifically focusing on the filling and operation of the dam, with a view to reporting these results back to the leaders in one month.
The leaders also reiterated their adherence to the spirit and letter of the Declaration of Principles on the GERD, signed in Khartoum in March 2015. They concluded their talks by highlighting the fruitful nature of their discussions and underscored their collective belief that cooperation on the GERD, based on a win-win approach, can and will meet the aspirations of their people.
