Ethiopia Seeks Equitable, Reasonable Water Resource Utilization for Its Dev’t, Says FM Taye

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia's Foreign Minister, Taye Atske Selassie has reiterated his country's unwavering aspiration for an equitable and reasonable use of water resources in its development endeavors.The Foreign Affairs Minister told ENA that Ethiopia is striving to ensure its development through the effective utilization of natural resources.Particularly, FM Taye emphasized the pivotal role of energy supply in achieving sustainable development that benefits the citizens.In this regard, the Minister mentioned the country's efforts to meet its energy needs through renewable sources such as hydropower.The country is committed to utilizing its water resources in a fair and reasonable manner to drive its development, according to him.The Minister underscored that Ethiopia does not have intention of harming any country, other than what his country is essentially doing is to utilize its water resources fairly and responsibly to ensure its development.Taye cited the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as a prime example of this.GERD offers substantial benefits to downstream countries beyond Ethiopia, he added.The Foreign Minister also recalled Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's previous discussions with regional leaders where the Prime Minister emphasized the dam's potential to serve as a center of cooperation and development.Ethiopia has a firm position to resolve disputes through dialogue based on international principles and equitable utilization of natural resources, he reaffirmed.However, efforts to impose colonial era treaties on the Abay River are fundamentally unacceptable, the Minister refuted.Thus, Taye underlined that any activity to stop Ethiopia's development is inapt and futile.Source: Ethiopian News Agency