Egyptian FM: Ethiopian dam development shouldn’t 'come at expense of lives of Egyptians'
In an exclusive, in-depth interview with Al-Monitor, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry says he sees no change in Qatari policies; great potential in regional integration; and says Egypt will play its "traditional role" to support "courageous decisions" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, “For Egypt, the matter of the Nile is a matter of life and death,” adding, “I don’t think anybody would agree that Ethiopian development should come at the expense of the lives of Egyptians.”
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor at the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations in New York, Shoukry explained that the dam could dramatically reduce the flow of Nile water to Egypt, affecting the lives of its 100 million citizens. Egypt has previously suggested that the World Bank design the Nile project to assure it addresses the needs of both Ethiopia and Egypt.
“Our Ethiopian brothers should also recognize that Egypt is 95% desert,” Shoukry said. “We have only the Nile water.”
He expressed frustration that there is nothing to show for after four years of negotiating with Ethiopia on the Renaissance Dam project.
