The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that this position violates both international law and the 2025 Declaration of Principles agreed upon among Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

“These unilateral actions ignore the rights and interests of countries downriver and their water security,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

Egypt’s statement was issued hours after Ethiopia made its announcement on the fourth and final stage to fill the dam.

Last month, Cairo hosted the first trilateral meeting since 2021, when a round of talks on the issue, which was sponsored by the African Union, failed.

Both Egypt and Sudan demand a binding agreement on the rules of the filling and operation of the dam, which is rejected by Ethiopia.

Egypt stated that the dam threatens its Nile water quota, on which its agriculture, industry, and its population depend almost entirely.

Egypt has a population of over 105 million, is considered one of the countries most severely affected by water shortages worldwide, and receives around 60 billion cubic meters a year, mainly from the Nile, although it needs around 114 billion.

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