Asharq Al-Awsat
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he valued an offer by US President Donald Trump to mediate a dispute over Nile River waters between Egypt and Ethiopia.
In a post on X, Sisi said on Saturday that he addressed Trump's letter by affirming Egypt's position and concerns about the country's water security in regards to Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
"I am ready to restart US mediation between Egypt and Ethiopia to responsibly resolve the question of 'The Nile Water Sharing' once and for all," Trump wrote to Sisi in the letter that was also posted on Trump’s Truth Social account.
Addis Ababa's September 9 inauguration of GERD has been a source of anger in Cairo, which is downstream on the Nile.
Ethiopia sees the $5 billion dam on a tributary of the Nile as central to its economic ambitions.
Egypt says the dam violates international treaties and could cause both droughts and flooding.
Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the regulation and safety of its own water supplies and dams.
Sudan's army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan also welcomed Trump's mediation offer on Saturday.