Egypt rebuked Ethiopia on Wednesday for branding their dispute over a Nile dam being built by Addis Ababa as an Arab-African conflict, saying the Horn of Africa country had no right to speak for the entire continent.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also disputed what it called "false claims" by Ethiopia that Cairo and Khartoum had agreed with Addis Ababa during past negotiations on details of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or Gerd.
An Arab summit held in Saudi Arabia last week adopted a resolution supporting the position of Egypt and Sudan in their dispute with Ethiopia over the dam.
The Egyptian statement, released by ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid, said Ethiopia's assertion that the resolution amounted to an Arab-African dispute was a "desperate attempt to drive a wedge between Arab and African nations".
It also reminded the Ethiopians of Egypt's role in the 1950s and 1960s in support of African liberation movements and its current offer of technical assistance to African nations.
That the African Union is based in Addis Ababa, it added, does not give Ethiopia the right to speak for African countries.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry was responding to a statement by its Ethiopian counterpart on Monday that said Addis Ababa received with dismay news of the Arab League resolution.
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A satellite image taken on June 26, 2020 shows a close-up view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. Maxar Technologies via Reuters -
The construction site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba in the North West of Ethiopia, seen in November 2017. AP -
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River in Guba, northwest Ethiopia. AFP -
An aerial view of water levels at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia, 2020. AFP -
The Blue Nile River is seen as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam reservoir fills near the Ethiopia-Sudan border, in this broad spectral image taken on November 6, 2020. Reuters -
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a source of discord for years. AP -
The GERD dam on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia has been under construction since 2011. EPA/MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES -
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River is considered by Ethiopia to be integral to its energy supply, but neighbouring countries say it jeopardises their own water resources. AFP -
This frame grab from a video obtained from the Ethiopian Public Broadcaster (EBC) on July 20 and July 21, 2020 and released on July 24, 2020 shows an aerial view of water levels at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba, Ethiopia. AFP -
A view of northwestern Ethiopia that focuses on the status of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Blue Nile River on July 11, 2020. AFP -
A handout satellite image shows a closeup view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia June 26, 2020. Maxar Technologies via Reuters -
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will return to Washington this week for another round of talks to reach an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam after missing the deadline last month. Reuters -
The Blue Nile river flows near the site of the planned Grand Renaissance Dam near Assosa in Ethiopia. AP -
The Grand Renaissance Dam hydroelectric project in Ethiopia. Egypt belives Adis Abbaba is being deliberatley slow in negotiations. William Lloyd George / AFP -
A combination picture of handout satellite images shows a view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) July 25, 2017 (top left), July 20, 2018 (top right), July 3, 2019 (bottom left), July 9, 2020 (bottom right) in Ethiopia, in these Sentinel-1 satellite imageries obtained by Reuters on July 14, 2020.
"This resolution is an affront to the African Union and its member states ... it runs contrary to the cherished and shared history of the people of Africa and the Arab world," the Ethiopian ministry said. The resolution, it added, was a "deliberate mischaracterisation" of Ethiopia's position over the dam.
Egypt is concerned that the Gerd will reduce its share of the Nile's water, a possibility that would badly hurt its agricultural sector and disrupt its delicate food balance.
Both Egypt and Sudan want Ethiopia to enter a legally binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam. Ethiopia, however, insists that guidelines should suffice. It has filled the dam three times in as many years without giving Cairo and Khartoum advance warning.
It plans a fourth filling this summer.
The last round of negotiations between the three countries collapsed in 2021 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ethiopian statement accused Egypt of using the Arab League to put pressure on Ethiopia over the Gerd dispute. That, it added, "represents [Egypt's] lack of good faith".
