Sisi rejects unilateral control of Nile water and urges basin cooperation
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt would not accept unilateral impositions on its water security in an address opening Cairo Water Week. He recognised Nile Basin countries’ right to develop while urging consultation and avoidance of harm to others. Egypt wants cooperation on shared resources, including an approach serving Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia in the eastern basin. He said the Nile supplies over 98 percent of Egypt’s renewable water resources.
Geopolitics··Midday
Egypt rejects unilateral demands on water security
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country would not compromise its water security or accept unilateral impositions in a recorded address opening Cairo Water Week on 25 October. He recognised the right of Nile Basin states to develop and use their natural resources, while saying that this right must be exercised responsibly and without harming other countries. The speech placed water cooperation within Egypt’s foreign-policy agenda. Sisi called for consultation and coordination consistent with international law, describing dialogue and cooperation as the approach Egypt had chosen while continuing to protect the interests and water rights of its people.[1], [2]
The Nile supplies almost all renewable water resources
Sisi said the Nile provides more than 98 percent of Egypt’s renewable water resources. He identified population growth, rising demand for water and food, and climate change as pressures on those supplies. Having a river’s headwaters inside one country does not grant that state unilateral control over a resource shared by several peoples, he argued. He pointed to cooperation between Egypt and countries in the southern Nile Basin on energy, agriculture and irrigation projects. Prior notification, the sharing of studies and consultation had helped build trust and attract financing, he said. These were the practical arrangements he advocated for developing shared resources.[1]
Cairo meeting calls for shared benefits across the basin
The president called for the same cooperative approach in the eastern Nile Basin, serving the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. The ninth Cairo Water Week runs until 29 October, with 21 ministers, 23 high-level delegations and representatives of international organisations among its participants. Egypt’s Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam told the opening session that water should be a bridge for cooperation. His ministry described efforts to improve water-use efficiency, treat and reuse water, upgrade infrastructure and protect the coast. Sewilam also called for more use of rainwater, clean-energy projects and regional electricity interconnections among basin countries as areas for cooperation.[1]
