Gulf states back Egypt in Nile river dam dispute with Ethiopia

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) expressed support for Egypt on Sunday in its dispute with Ethiopia over the Nile river. 

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with representatives of GCC member states yesterday. Shoukry said they discussed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), as well as Libya, Yemen and other issues. On the GERD, the Gulf ministers expressed support for Egypt’s water security and a binding agreement involving Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. The GCC also launched a political consultation mechanism with Egypt, the Egypt Today news outlet reported. 

The GCC’s expression of support for Egypt on the GERD and the political mechanism were also reported by Arabic-language Egyptian media outlets. 

The GCC’s official statement on the meeting with Shoukry did not mention the dam, but noted the “necessity of respecting the goodness of neighbors,” which may have been a reference to Ethiopia’s position on the Nile river vis-a-vis Sudan and Egypt.