[ad_1]
JOHANNESBURG, Oct.28 (Xinhua) – South African Minister for International Cooperation and Relations Naledi Pandor said her counterparts from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan are scheduled to meet again in seven days on the issue of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. GERD).
This comes after Pandor’s videoconference discussion on Tuesday with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of Water and Irrigation of Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.
“The GERD negotiating parties reaffirmed their sincere commitment to the AU-led process and agreed to immediately and unconditionally resume negotiations,” said Clayson Monyela, spokesman for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, on Wednesday.
He said the parties committed to developing a clear work plan, deadlines and deliverables.
“The Parties also agreed to continue negotiations on the remaining technical and legal issues.”
Minister Pandor said all parties had shown commitments to the talks that resumed this week after collapsing about two months ago.
Observers, including the chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Mahamat Faki, and African experts on GERD joined the talks.
The 6,500 MW hydroelectric dam is under construction on the Blue Nile River, a major tributary of the world’s longest Nile River that flows to the two lower riparian countries, Sudan and Egypt.
Diplomatic relations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan have been largely intertwined over the years with the Blue Nile River, which originates in Ethiopia and is shared between the three countries. Final product
