Burundi speaks up for Egypt in GERD crisis
Burundi has expressed support for Egypt in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis.
CAIRO — Burundi’s Foreign Minister Albert Shinjiro recently said the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a very sensitive file and every country has the right to achieve development, but “the right to life comes before the right to development.”
Speaking at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Sept. 7 in Cairo, Shinjiro said, “Water for the Egyptians is a matter of life or death,” adding the GERD crisis should be resolved through dialogue and a binding legal agreement needs to be reached.
Shinjiro’s remarks were in line with Shoukry’s speech before the 156th regular session of the League of Arab States on Sept. 9.
“A binding agreement on the GERD will spare the region an undesired complex landscape with ominous consequences,” Shoukry said in his speech.
