Trump Praises Sisi, Reaffirms Desire to Resolve GERD Dispute
Sudanhorizon- Agencies
US President Donald Trump praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday, describing him as a great and very strong leader. He added that he doesn’t know the Ethiopian leader “as well as I know you, but I’ve heard he’s a strong man, and I’ll try to bring you both together,” he said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said he was unhappy with the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), one of the largest dams in the world, which is blocking water from the Nile River in Egypt.
He continued, “When I think of Egypt, I think of the Nile River before anything else, but it flows through Ethiopia, and a very large, gigantic dam has been built.” He noted that this issue should have been addressed long ago when the dam was being built, but the United States funded it.
He added that the dam has become a serious issue and that he will work to reach an agreement that benefits all parties, because some countries are no longer receiving the amount of water they have historically received.
For his part, President Sisi expressed his gratitude to Trump for his support of Egypt in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) issue, which he described as an “existential” matter. He noted Trump’s interest in the issue since his first term and his commitment to working towards an agreement on the dam.
Last Friday, Trump released a letter he sent to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, offering to mediate between Egypt and Ethiopia in the GERD and Nile River crisis.
In his letter, Trump stated that he was “prepared to resume American mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to resolve the issue of sharing the Nile waters responsibly and definitively,” emphasizing that he and his team understood “the vital importance of the Nile River to Egypt and its people.”
He added, “I want to help you achieve an outcome that ensures the long-term water needs of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia are met,” stressing that “no country in this region should unilaterally control the precious Nile resources and harm its neighbors in the process.”
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