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The technical report has nothing to do with the current construction and it is only intended to show the dam’s impact on other countries, says Ethiopian minister

By Ahmed Abbas

Ethiopia is about to finish 70% of construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), minister of the Ethiopian Government Communication Affairs office Getachew Reda said.

In an interview with the Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Reda added that the finished work included civil engineering and water engineering.

Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan have contracted two French companies to prepare a report on the impact of the dam on the three countries.

Reda said that the technical report has nothing to do with the current construction and it is only meant to show its impact on other countries.

“The dam is being built and this will not be affected by the report, but if there is anyone who believes that he would affected after carrying out the study, then it is not our problem in Ethiopia,” Reda said.

The GERD has strained relations between Ethiopia and Egypt since construction began in 2011, with relations reaching their lowest point in 2013.

Members of the tripartite committee of the GERD are preparing to present their final review of the technical studies on the construction of the dam to the water ministers of the three countries.

Last December, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan signed the Khartoum Document, addressing the ways to enforce and execute the declaration of principles singed by the presidents of the three countries last March.

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