Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 17:04:44 +0200
Ethiopian Ambassador: El-Sisi to visit Ethiopia before end of year
El-Sisi is set to discuss bilateral relations and the Grand Renaissance Dam
Ahram Online ,
Thursday 18 Sep 2014
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Egyptian President Abdel El-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt is due to visit Ethiopia
before the end of this year, Ethiopian ambassador to Cairo Mahmoud Dirir has
said.
In press statements to London-based Al-Hayat daily newspaper on Thursday,
Ambassador Dirir said that the Egyptian president was going to meet with the
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in New York during their
upcoming participation in the UN General Assembly meetings. Both leaders are
expected to discuss bilateral relations and the latest developments
concerning the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam.
"President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received an invitation to visit Ethiopia
during the African summit in Equatorial Guinea last June," Ambassador Dirir
told the pan-Arab newspaper, adding the Egyptian president's first visit to
Ethiopia is considered to be "historical."
The ambassador also hinted out that there was a positive improvement in
Egyptian-Ethiopian Bilateral relations.
"Ethiopia hopes that bilateral relations with Egypt go beyond the Ethiopian
Grand Renaissance Dam because we can have other common interests such as
economic, energy, education and aviation projects," Dirir told Al-Hayat.
Egyptian - Ethiopian relations have deteriorated in the past three years
following the construction of Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam. The project
is of concern to the Egyptian government as there are fears it will affect
Egypt's potable water supply from the Nile.
Egypt's irrigation and water minister Hossam El-Moghazi is going to head the
Egyptian delegation participating in the meeting with ministers of
irrigation from Sudan and Ethiopia next Saturday in Addis Ababa.
A new round of talks between technical experts from the three countries
about the Renaissance Dam will be launched during this meeting.
Minister El-Moghazi is expected to visit the location of the Renaissance Dam
during his visit.
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