Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aati on Friday discussed at meeting in Juba with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit the latest developments regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

In this regard, the irrigation minister refuted Ethiopian claims that the dam would secure electricity for Addis Ababa and neighboring countries.

During the meeting, Abdel Aati and Salva Kiir probed a number of topics with common concern.

The irrigation minister underlined the importance of fostering historic ties between Cairo and Juba, through injecting investments into the sectors of tourism, roads and energy.

Abdel Aati also shed light on the great support that Egypt offers to South Sudan to develop the sectors of water resources and irrigation, which in turn could help meet the needs of the South Sudanese people for potable water and livestock.

In a separate meeting, the Egyptian irrigation minister and his South Sudanese counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement a new project aimed at reducing the risks of flooding in the Bahr al-Jabal basin.

Source: State Information Service Egypt