Saudi official visits Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

An informed source said that the advisor to the royal court of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed al-Khatib, visited the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam while he was in the capital of Addis Ababa; a visit that was not on his schedule.

The Saudi Foreign Minister declared that the king’s ambassador in Ethiopia received Khatib and the accompanying delegation ahead of their meeting with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn to tackle ways of boosting bilateral ties in all fields.

Ethiopian television reported Saturday that Khatib met with the prime minister, who urged the Saudi kingdom to support the dam project financially and to invest in Ethiopia.

They agreed on forming a joint committee for cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy.

Meanwhile, Former Irrigation Minister Mohamed Nasreddin Allam considered Khatib’s visit to the dam a dangerous move and said it constitutes an act of public intrigue.

He described the visit as an attempt to harm the interests of 92 million Egyptians and an added response to the ongoing conflicts between Egypt and the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia plans to take advantage of the dam to provide Sudan and Yemen with electricity, within its support to them, Allam told Al-Masry Al-Youm.

He added that this is an immoral action by the kingdom, which will have future negative impacts that could widen the gap between Arab countries.