Egyptian Irrigation minister flies to Sudan for talks on Ethiopia dam

Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazi left here on Tuesday en route to Sudan on a six-day visit to lead Egypt's delegation to the seventh round of talks over Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam.

In press statements, Moghazi said the talks will tackle tasks to be assigned to the two consultancy offices that will complete technical studies on the dam.

He added that the previous Cairo-hosted meetings have drawn the road map for the international consultancy offices during the coming 11 months.

Negotiations are the only way to solve issues related the Ethiopian dam, Moghazi said, stressing that Egypt will continue to support the development process in the Nile Basin countries.

He added that over 250 million people in Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan are awaiting for the outcome of such meetings.

The file of Ethiopia's dam tops the priorities of the leaders of the three countries, Moghazi stressed.

In March, Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia signed a declaration of principles on the dam, agreeing to safeguard the interests of all three countries.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, who hailed the declaration as a "positive step", visited Ethiopia in the same month and addressed the country's parliament, calling for a new era of cooperation.

The dam, scheduled to be completed in 2017, will be Africa's largest hydroelectric power plant.