After the High Dam Post.. Egypt Embarrasses the Ethiopian Minister for Deleting It

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In a sarcastic tone, the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation downplayed the statements made by the Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy regarding the construction of the High Dam, describing them as "nonsense."

A responsible source at the ministry stated, according to the official Middle East News Agency on Saturday evening, that the Ethiopian minister's statements reflect a state of political imbalance that does not warrant a response or waste of time.

The Egyptian source's comment came in response to the controversial post published by the Ethiopian minister on his official Facebook account regarding the High Dam, which he later deleted in an action that raised much astonishment.

The responsible source clarified that the fundamental and real question that the Ethiopian side must answer in front of everyone is not the content of the statement, but: "Why did the Ethiopian minister hastily delete his embarrassing post from his account shortly after publishing it?"

He confirmed that these actions are nothing more than a desperate and futile attempt to divert attention from the essence of the ongoing crisis, which is represented by Addis Ababa's continued unilateral decisions and actions regarding its illegal dam, in clear and ongoing violation of international law and agreements governing transboundary watercourses.

Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Itefa, stated that his country has a sovereign right to develop and utilize its water resources in the Nile River based on the principle of equitable and reasonable use, rejecting calls for Ethiopia to obtain prior approval from downstream countries for its water resource development projects.

The minister clarified in a social media post early Saturday morning that Ethiopia has repeatedly called for consultations regarding Nile water projects, revealing that historical records from the 1950s documented Ethiopian objections to the lack of broader consultation regarding the Aswan project and previous arrangements related to Nile water.

Habtamu stated that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is subject to a newer regional framework, represented by the 2015 Declaration of Principles signed by Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt, emphasizing that the historical legacy of the High Dam in Aswan, Egypt, and its construction caused widespread social disturbances, noting that the project was implemented without Ethiopia's approval.

Habtamu said: "Before criticizing Ethiopia, Egypt should explain why it built the High Dam in Aswan without Ethiopia's approval," linking the historical experience of the Aswan project to the current discussion regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

He considered that Egypt's historical record weakens its criticisms of Ethiopia based solely on consultations with the downstream countries, pointing to the "displacement of Nubian communities" associated with the High Dam project.

It is noted that the crisis between the two countries dates back to years of stalled negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia regarding the rules for filling and operating the Renaissance Dam, where Cairo insists on reaching a binding legal agreement that ensures its water security and its historical share of the Nile River's waters, while Addis Ababa insists on proceeding with unilateral measures without coordination with the downstream countries.

Recently, there has been a noticeable escalation in the tone of diplomatic and media exchanges between the two parties, following Ethiopia's announcement of the completion of filling operations and the opening of the final stages of the dam, which Egypt considered a blatant violation of the principles declaration signed in 2015 and of international law.