የግብፅ የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስትር የዓባይ ውሃ ድርሻዋ በእጥፍ እንዲጨምር ጠየቁ፤ አዳዲስ ግድቦችንም አልቀበልም አሉ

The Ethiopian News Agency reported on Sunday that Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa said Ethiopia is exercising its sovereign right to build dams for irrigation and water supply, and that a dam on the Magech river is close to completion. "It is shameful to hear Egyptian politicians say that Ethiopia should get consent from them" for projects that cause no significant harm, he said, adding that Egypt built the Aswan High Dam without consulting Ethiopia. Egypt's foreign minister had earlier demanded that Egypt's Nile water share be doubled and rejected any new dams.

A source at Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation dismissed a Facebook post by Ethiopia's Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa about the Aswan High Dam, saying responding to "such nonsense and the political confusion reflected in the post would be nothing more than a waste of time", Egypt Today reported on Saturday. The source asked why the minister had deleted the post and said it was an attempt to divert attention from Ethiopia's unilateral actions over its dam.

Ethiopia's Water and Energy Minister Habtamu Itefa said on Sunday that Ethiopia is exercising its right to build dams for irrigation and water supply and does not need Egypt's consent, the Ethiopian News Agency reported. He said it was "shameful to hear Egyptian politicians say that Ethiopia should get consent from them to build dams that do not have significant harm on the country", and added that Egypt did not ask Ethiopia's permission when it built the Aswan High Dam. He said Ethiopia rejected what he called a colonial mentality and hydro-hegemony.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, posted on social media that "before criticizing Ethiopia, Egypt should explain why it built the Aswan High Dam without Ethiopian consent", and later deleted the post, Egypt Today reported on Saturday. An unnamed official at Egypt's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation called the post "shameful" and said responding to it would be a waste of time. The Ethiopian News Agency reported separately that the minister rejected Egypt's criticism of Ethiopia's dam projects.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said at the Alamein Africa Forum on Saturday that Egypt rejects the use of the Nile water issue to achieve political gains, and called for cooperation among basin countries on the basis of mutual benefit and of causing no harm to any country. He also called for Africa's conflicts to be resolved peacefully and backed the African Union's peace efforts, anews reported.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa said Egypt's Aswan High Dam displaced more than 100,000 Nubians and was built without any consultation, the Ethiopian News Agency reported on Saturday. "Egypt's historical record gives it no moral basis for criticizing Ethiopia solely on the grounds of downstream consultation," he said, adding that Ethiopia has a sovereign right to use its Nile waters under the principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, said Egypt has no moral basis to criticise Ethiopia over consultation with downstream countries, pointing to Egypt's own construction of the Aswan High Dam without Ethiopian consent. He said Ethiopia has a sovereign right to develop and use its Nile waters on the basis of equitable and reasonable utilisation. The state news agency ENA carried his remarks on Saturday.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, announced the establishment of a national committee to assess the economic losses from more than 22 development projects Ethiopia says Egypt obstructed, and to examine the basis for compensation claims. The committee brings together experts, former ministers, advisers and legal professionals.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, said on 1 October that the government has set up a national committee to seek compensation from Egypt for development losses caused by obstructed projects in the Abbay basin. He said the committee had already counted more than 22 projects "blocked or obstructed by Egyptians", including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, said on 1 October that Ethiopia has established a national committee to assess its losses and seek compensation from Egypt. He said the committee had already counted more than 22 development projects "blocked or obstructed by Egyptians", including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Ethiopian News Agency reported on 1 October that Minister of Water and Energy Habtamu Itefa said Ethiopia has established a national committee to assess the losses caused by water and development projects it says Egypt blocked or obstructed. He said the committee had counted more than 22 obstructed projects, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and was compiling evidence for compensation claims. The minister said Ethiopia prefers negotiation and mutual understanding.

The National reported on 30 September that Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said Egypt needs to double its share of Nile water, not just protect it, and would reject any new dams or a repetition of what happened with the current Ethiopian dam. He spoke at a meeting chaired by President El-Sisi on 29 September.