Ethiopia's Minister of Water and Energy has linked any understanding over Nile waters to Egypt supporting Ethiopia's development projects and its bid for access to the sea, in remarks criticised by Egyptian politicians. Habtamu Itefa said on Thursday, 5 November, that Egypt "must contribute positively to achieving our development projects" and "must contribute to Ethiopia obtaining a sea outlet".

A call for an apology

In an interview with the Ethiopian state broadcaster Fana Media Corporation, Itefa said Egypt should apologise to Ethiopia and reward it for sustaining the availability of Nile waters, rather than accusing Addis Ababa of threatening downstream water security. He said Ethiopia had planted more than 56 billion trees in recent years, mostly in the Tekeze, Abbay and Baro basins, and contributes 86 per cent of the Nile's water.

No block on the river

The minister insisted Ethiopia had no intention of stopping the river's flow. "We are not going to stop the water from flowing to Egypt. We believe this river is for everyone," he said. He added Ethiopia would never seek another country's permission to develop its water resources, calling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam a symbol of national pride, and said Ethiopia would present its case at the forthcoming UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.

Egypt's response

Egyptian member of parliament Mostafa Bakry described the remarks as "blackmail and an affront to Egyptian national security", adding that "Egypt will not accept blackmail". No official response had been issued by Egypt's foreign or irrigation ministries by Thursday evening. The remarks came three days after Egypt and Sudan held talks in Cairo, whose joint statement said Ethiopia's management of the dam without a binding legal framework posed a continuing threat.