Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Wednesday reaffirmed his country’s keen interest to strengthen ties with Egypt.
Desalegn, in his discussion with Aboubakr Hefny, Egyptian Ambassador to Ethiopia, also underlined the importance of uplifting the political will and good intentions of the two countries.
Desalegn and Hefny, during their meeting in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Wednesday, discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, information technology, health, pharmaceutical industries and medical envoys, according to the Ethiopian foreign ministry.
The diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Egypt is largely intertwined with the Blue Nile River that originates from Ethiopia and shared by Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.
The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the river, which will become Africa’s largest dam upon completion with a total volume of 74,000 million cubic meters, has been a major issue between the two countries since its commencement in April 2011 with a construction cost of 80 billion Ethiopian birr (close to 4.7 billion U.S. dollars).
Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have formed a tripartite committee back in 2012 to create understanding and look into the benefits and impacts the project would have on the three countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
