Cairo - MENA
Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Hossam Moghazy called for using the Nile River meetings to boost cooperation and integration.
"The Nile River should be a lifeline for cooperation and integration not a source of tension," he said.
The minister said meetings over the Renaissance Dam should provide the base for this integration and cooperation.
Moghazy made his comment during the fourth round of tripartite talks that aim at implementing recommendations of a committee of international experts regarding the Ethiopian dam.
Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan formed a tripartite technical committee last year to study the possible effects of Ethiopia's dam.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has been a point of contention between Egypt and Ethiopia, as Egypt fears the dam will have damaging effects on its share of Nile water.
Previous agreements made in 1929 and 1959 which guaranteed Egypt’s share of Nile water were signed in Ethiopia’s absence.
Ethiopian officials insist the dam will not hamper Egypt's share of Nile water and have instead pointed to gains in electricity production offered by the project.