GERD dispute sees support from Moscow to reach agreement

Russian Ambassador to Cairo Georgy Borisenko. (File/Internet)
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  • Russian Ambassador Georgy Borisenko asserted his country’s willingness to find a compromise solution

DUBAI: Moscow pledged to offer its cooperation with Addis Ababa to reach a mutual agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute with Egypt and Sudan, according to a statement released by the Russian embassy in Cairo on Friday.

Russian Ambassador Georgy Borisenko asserted his country’s willingness to find a solution that would allow all three states to implement national development programs, ensuring a “good neighborhood, peace and stability.”

Ethiopia in the past has said that the dam is crucial to its economic development and for providing power to its population, while Egypt views the dam as a threat to its Nile water supplies, on which it is almost entirely dependent. Sudan has expressed concern about the dam’s safety and impact on its own dams and water stations.

Under construction since 2011, the GERD is a gravity dam on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia, set to be Africa’s largest hydroelectric project when completed.