Egypt blames Ethiopia’s unwise policies for putting Somalia at risk and stalling GERD talks

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry warned on Sunday that Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are under real threat from Ethiopia.

This came as part of Egypt’s speech, delivered by Shoukry, during the ministerial consultative meeting between Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Shoukry pointed out that this threat is due to Ethiopia signing a deal with Somaliland to gain access to the Red Sea, RT reported.

Egypt utterly rejects this development, he said, as it impacts the sovereignty of an Arab country and violates the United Nations Charter.

The Egyptian Foreign Minister stated that this step simply continues Ethiopia’s unwise policies, which cares only for its  individual interests.

Egypt became well aware of this during its negotiations regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), he noted, which prompted the state to stop participating in these negotiations as they failed to lead to any tangible results.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has previously said that Egypt would not allow any threat to Somalia and its security.

In December, the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation announced the end of the fourth and final meeting of GERD negotiations process between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, without achieving results, due to the Ethiopian positions remaining as they were.

“In light of the Ethiopian position, the negotiating tracks have ended. Egypt confirms that it will closely monitor the process of filling and operating the GERD, and it reserves its right to defend its water and national security if it is exposed to harm,” it explained.

Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been negotiating for 12 years to reach an agreement on filling and operating the Dam, but long rounds of negotiations have failed to reach one.