Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said here on Sunday that Egypt faces a unique water challenge due to its geographic nature and reliance on the Nile River, warning that the country’s water security cannot be compromised.
In a recorded address opening the ninth Cairo Water Week, Sisi noted that the Nile provides Egypt with more than 98 per cent of its renewable water resources, reiterating his country’s willingness to cooperate with other basin states based on international law, consultation, coordination, good neighbourliness, and the principle of causing no harm.
The Egyptian president noted that Egypt has consciously chosen the path of cooperation and dialogue, saying “Egypt respects and supports the right of all Nile Basin states to development.”
Highlighting cooperation with southern Nile Basin countries on proposed projects in energy, agriculture and irrigation, Sisi said Egypt looks forward to reinforcing cooperation in the Eastern Nile Basin as well “in a manner that serves the interests of Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia.”
Meanwhile, Sisi emphasised, “Any wager that Egypt will accept a fait accompli or compromise its water security is a losing wager,” stressing that the state will not neglect its responsibility to protect the interests of the Egyptian people.
The president called for turning the potential of the Nile Basin into partnerships that maximize shared benefits, safeguard the rights of all nations, and ensure that the Nile remains a source of development, prosperity, and stability for all peoples of the Basin, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, have repeatedly voiced concern over their water shares following the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by upstream Ethiopia. Years of trilateral negotiations have failed to produce a binding legal agreement on the rules governing the filling and operation of the dam.
Ethiopia officially inaugurated the dam in September 2025, saying the hydropower project would boost electricity generation and economic development without harming downstream countries.
Held under the theme “Water as a Catalyst for Peace, Shared Prosperity and a Sustainable Planet,” the five-day Ninth Cairo Water Week runs until Thursday. More than 130 sessions are scheduled on water security, capacity building, and preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference to be convened in the UAE in December.
(IANS)
