Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has said his country “will not allow any new dams to be built on the Nile” unless agreed to in advance and carried out under international law, marking Cairo’s firmest position in years on the water dispute with Ethiopia.
In an hour-long interview broadcast on Sunday night on the Saudi network MBC, Mr Abdelatty said Egypt remained committed to lawful and diplomatic means, but would respond with “appropriate and firm measures” if its water rights were threatened.
“Any new dams that are not built by prior notification and co-ordination will face an Egyptian reaction,” he said. “Our actions will be strong, lawful, and consistent with the United Nations Charter.”
Egypt and Ethiopia have been locked in a bitter dispute for more than a decade over the anticipated effects of a vast hydroelectric dam that Addis Ababa completed this year.
Egypt, which relies on the Nile for nearly all its freshwater needs, views the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as an existential threat, contending it will reduce its vital share of the river's water and give Ethiopia unacceptable control over its downstream flow at times of drought.
Egypt’s problem “is not with the Ethiopian people” but with “the unilateral conduct of the Ethiopian government”, said Mr Abdelatty.
He described recent developments within the Nile Basin Initiative as “a major diplomatic success for Egypt”. Talks reopened into the Co‑operative Framework Agreement − a long-stalled motion to transform the initiative into the Nile Basin Commission, an overarching authority to manage the Nile’s waters.
There had been two opposing blocs in the negotiations, with Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea demanding a greater role for downstream members of the initiative. An opposing bloc headed by Ethiopia imposed terms that were deemed unacceptable, leading to a stalemate.
Experts argue that the talks collapsed because the initiative is not feasible without Egypt and Sudan as signatories.
A new round of ministerial talks held this month in Burundi brought both groups together for the first time in years “in a genuine consultative process”, Mr Abdelatty said.
The meeting produced “a historic outcome”, an agreement, endorsed by seven participating states, to reopen the 2010 framework for amendments that can allow downstream countries to rejoin once their concerns are accommodated.
“If consensus is reached, Egypt will return strongly to the initiative and support its transformation into a Nile Water Commission,” he said. “Our basic principle is clear: Egypt cannot compromise or neglect its water rights.”
Egypt and Sudan had been in negotiations with Ethiopia, demanding Addis Ababa enters into a legally binding agreement on the operation and management of the dam.
Countering 'colonial' narrative
Egypt has worked hard to counter the narrative that it has historically hoarded the Nile’s waters and that it stood against African development, Mr Abdelatty said. He believes that view has largely changed, calling this a “success for the Foreign Ministry’s efforts”.
Mr Abdelatty said the “false narrative” has also been propagated by Ethiopia’s leadership, which has accused Egypt of having a “colonial stance” on African development.
He highlighted the approval of 34 new water projects for southern‑basin countries, including Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan.
“We have now created, for the first time in our history, a sizeable fund, denominated in dollars from the Egyptian budget to implement water and development projects in the southern basin,” he told MBC, “This corrects an important narrative and shows that Egypt supports our fellow Africans’ right to progress, while safeguarding our national interest.”
Mr Abdelatty also touched upon refugees in Egypt and the need for burden-sharing. He said the number of refugees and migrants in Egypt now exceeds 10 million − up from about 9 million last year.
He distinguished between registered refugees and a much larger unregistered population integrated across Egyptian cities.
The minister singled out the EU as having a distinct responsibility to play a more hands-on role in taking care of refugees in Egypt.
“It is impossible for Egypt to continue bearing this burden alone,” he said. “If these countries do not share in the costs, they must face the consequences. They have to face the fact that for many refugees, Egypt is a transit country and most want to end up in Europe.”
Mr Abdelatty also rejected claims that Egypt profits from hosting refugees and said that, in fact, it often has to cover funding shortfalls out of pocket.
“We do not ask for money for refugees − not one pound,” he said. “We only ask that partners be present here to ensure aid reaches those in need and to expand registration under the UN refugee agency.”
At the same time, he noted, Egyptian citizens have “every right to ask legitimate questions” about how refugee policies operate and what limits the state can bear.
He said recent legislation now allows the Egyptian government itself to determine refugee status for the first time, aligning with UN protocols but giving Cairo greater control over who qualifies for protection.
Any foreign resident, he added, “has a full obligation to respect Egyptian law and refrain from illegal activities”.
'Careful' ties with Damascus
Mr Abdelatty also addressed public impressions that Egypt has been cautious or distant towards the new authorities in Syria, saying Cairo’s position “is completely clear”.
He said Egypt “wishes all the best for the Syrian people and the existing Syrian government”, but that ties are “careful” and guided by concern for Syria’s stability, following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December.
He reaffirmed that “Egypt’s positions are firm and unchanging”, noting that Cairo continues to condemn “repeated Israeli aggression” and “the occupation of Syrian territories”.
Egypt remains in contact with Syrian officials, including President Ahmad Al Shara, who was received in Cairo earlier this year.
Mr Abdelatty said Egypt offers “advice to our brothers in Syria” to preserve the country’s unity and ensure an inclusive political system that protects all sects and ethnic groups.
However, he explained that Cairo is concerned about the presence of foreign fighters, and said that terrorism there “must be addressed, so that Syria does not become a source of threat to its neighbours”.
