The opening of the Ethiopian dam must be considered an important step of a development project for the Horn of Africa, rather than a source of confrontation, because it will contribute to improving access to electricity of our neighbors, he said.

Few hours after 84 percent of the construction phase of the hydropower project was completed, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Sunday pressed a series of buttons on an electronic screen and one of 13 turbines is currently operational.

It will not cause harm to Sudan and Egypt, nor does it contravene the 2015 Declaration of Principles, as several reports have claimed in recent days with the obvious purpose of derailing the continued progress of the filling and operation of the dam, Mahdi said.

The GERD generation, he said, benefits the region’s countries and this proves to the world that the propaganda against Ethiopia’s right to exploit its resources, is unfounded.

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