African Union Chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa, has welcomed the resumption of trilateral negotiations between the parties to the Grand Renaissance Ethiopian Dam (GERD).
The negotiations follow the meeting of the African Union (AU) Bureau of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held on 26 June 2020, the ministerial delegations of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, supported by technical experts, reconvened on 3 July 2020 to discuss the outstanding legal and technical issues pertaining to the GERD matter.
The GERD is one of the largest infrastructure projects in the continent and has the potential to be a catalyst for integration and development in the sub-region.
“The resumed trilateral negotiations is an indication of the commitment of all parties to the GERD to dialogue as a means toward a peaceful, amicable, and durable solution taking into consideration all the dimensions of the GERD matter.
“By this act, the parties have demonstrated their commitment to an African-led process in the spirit of African solution to African problems,” said President Ramaphosa.
He said he is sincerely encouraged by the initial report he received, which indicates focused attention by all parties to the GERD in finding solutions.
“I wish to further implore the parties to proceed along this path in order to reach an agreement on all outstanding issues,” said the President.
In accordance with the decision of the AU Bureau meeting of 26 June 2020, President Ramaphosa will be presented with a report on the outcomes of the trilateral negotiations, after which he will convene a meeting of the Bureau to consider the report.
In the meantime, the President’s office said the AU Chairperson is maintaining, dynamic, regular contact with all the Heads of State and Government ahead of this meeting in order to lend further momentum to the ongoing negotiations.
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