Egypt demands a binding legal agreement to regulate the filling and operation processes of the Ethiopian reservoir, the foreign minister said via telephone.

Ethiopia’s unilateral measures will affect the stability and security of the region, the diplomat set out, referring to Addis Ababa’s decision to complete the second phase of water grabbing next July.

The head of the Egyptian diplomacy insisted on the importance of the United Nations and its entities to contribute to the resumption of negotiations and to support the mediation of the African Union.

The Foreign Ministry also sent letters on the issue to the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, explaining each stage of the tripartite talks, as well as the dimensions of the dispute.

Egypt is 85 percent dependent on the Nile for domestic consumption and finds GERD a threat to its water supply.

The latest meetings among Cairo, Khartoum and Addis Ababa, held on April 4-5, ended without resolving the most contentious issues.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi noted on March 30 that his country’s main way to overcome differences is dialogue and not enmity, with its intolerable negative effects. However, ‘no one will touch a drop of Egypt’s water,’ he assured.

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