Egypt will take all measures to protect its water security, irrigation minister says

Egyptian Irrigation Minister Hani Sweilam said Cairo will take all legal measures to protect its water security after stalled talks with Ethiopia.

• Sweilam told international media on Sunday that Egypt pursued every channel to reach an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, without seriousness from Ethiopia.
• Sweilam rejected Ethiopia's proposal to sell Nile waters to African countries, saying all African states refused it.
• Sweilam accused Ethiopia of opposing amendment of the framework agreement and said Ethiopia had done nothing to make the dam legal.
• Sweilam said Egypt is not opposed to dam construction but rejects unilateralism, and affirmed readiness to cooperate with Nile basin states.
• Sweilam rejected the legitimacy of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in its current form and warned against further unilateral actions.
• He said the 2015 declaration of principles was only a framework agreement, not a final deal, and Ethiopia failed to implement it.
• Sweilam rejected Ethiopia's claim of absolute sovereignty over the Nile, arguing it is an international river.
• Hani Sweilam said negotiations with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam have reached a dead end after 13 years.
• Sweilam said an Ethiopian minister acknowledged for the first time that Blue Nile dams aim to control water flowing to Egypt and Sudan, not development.
• Sweilam said Ethiopians share the same rights to electricity, water, and health as Egyptians, noting 50–60% lack power and questioning their gains from the dam.