Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Meles Alem, defended the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) project by rejecting media claims that Qatar is financing its construction. Speaking at a press conference in Addis Ababa, he asserted that Ethiopia does not require external approval to harness its natural resources and that reports of Qatari funding are baseless and “unacceptable.” He emphasized that over 60 % of the dam’s construction is already complete, and that the project is being financed by the Ethiopian people themselves.
Meles also confirmed that, despite ongoing disagreements, Ethiopia will continue to engage with Egypt and Sudan in future stages of the project. He noted that the most recent tripartite meeting in Cairo failed to produce consensus because Egypt insisted on incorporating colonial-era treaties from 1929 and 1959 into the negotiations. In response, Egypt has suspended technical talks with Ethiopia and Sudan, rejecting amendments proposed by the two countries concerning the dam’s filling, operation, and related studies.
In Egyptian media, the dam has become a focal point of debate, with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asserting that any threat to Egypt’s share of Nile waters is a matter of “life or death.” Cairo worries the dam may adversely affect its entitlement to 55.5 billion cubic meters of water annually, while Addis Ababa maintains the project poses no harm and instead promises to generate electricity, eradicate poverty, and bolster development.
