The second-round tripartite negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) kicked off in Addis Ababa today.

The tripartite talks will mainly deliberate on the first filling and annual operation, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In his opening speech, Ethiopia’s negotiating team leader Ambassador Sileshi Bekele this discussion has come after the successful fourth-round filling of the GERD carried out in line with the 2015 Declaration of Principles.

The team leader expressed his belief that the countries will exert tireless efforts to reach agreement on the issues during this round of discussion.

According to him, the only option is to implement the principle of fair and rational use of Nile water as stipulated in the Declaration of Principles.

Egypt Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Hani Sewilam and Sudan Acting Minister of Water Dawelbeit Abdelrahman Mansour Bashir on their part expressed their strong hope to reach an agreement.

Ethiopia is committed to reaching a negotiated and amicable solution through the ongoing trilateral process.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency