Daijiworld Media Network - Cairo
Cairo, Oct 26: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has warned that Egypt’s water security cannot be compromised, citing the country’s heavy dependence on the Nile River for its renewable water resources, while reiterating Cairo’s willingness to pursue cooperation and dialogue with other Nile Basin nations.
In a recorded address inaugurating the ninth Cairo Water Week on Sunday, Sisi said the Nile accounted for more than 98 per cent of Egypt’s renewable water resources, making water security a critical national concern.
He said Egypt remained committed to cooperating with other Nile Basin countries based on international law, consultation, coordination, good neighbourliness and the principle of causing no harm.
“Egypt respects and supports the right of all Nile Basin states to development,” Sisi said, adding that his country had consciously chosen the path of cooperation and dialogue.
Highlighting proposed cooperation with southern Nile Basin countries in energy, agriculture and irrigation, the Egyptian president said Cairo also looked forward to strengthening ties in the Eastern Nile Basin in a manner that served the interests of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
However, Sisi issued a firm warning against any attempt to undermine Egypt’s water security.
“Any wager that Egypt will accept a fait accompli or compromise its water security is a losing wager,” he said, stressing that the Egyptian state would not shirk its responsibility to protect the interests of its people.
The president called for transforming the Nile Basin’s potential into partnerships that maximise shared benefits, safeguard the rights of all countries and ensure that the river remained a source of development, prosperity and stability for the region’s populations, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Egypt and Sudan, both downstream countries, have repeatedly expressed concerns over their water supplies following the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) by upstream Ethiopia. Years of trilateral negotiations have failed to produce a binding legal agreement governing the filling and operation of the dam.
Ethiopia officially inaugurated the hydropower project in September 2025, saying it would boost electricity generation and economic development without harming downstream countries.
Held under the theme “Water as a Catalyst for Peace, Shared Prosperity and a Sustainable Planet,” the five-day ninth Cairo Water Week will continue until Thursday. More than 130 sessions are scheduled to discuss water security, capacity building and preparations for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which is due to be held in the United Arab Emirates in December.