I haven’t had time to monitor the situation at GERD, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and the anxieties it causes downstream in Egypt and Sudan, but now comes word of a new alliance for Egypt – Saudi Arabia:
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia officially declared its support for Egypt’s position in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crisis, backing all measures taken by Cairo to protect its national security regarding this crisis.
Riyadh has strong economic influence in Addis Ababa and highly values Egypt’s cooperation on many issues, including the confrontation with Iran. …
The Saudi stance on the GERD comes in light of Emirati-Saudi competition especially for obtaining investments and buying assets in Egypt. For its part, Cairo is tapping into Saudi support on the GERD crisis to counter the United Arab Emirates’ stance, which seems to have taken a neutral stance. [AL-Monitor]
Egypt’s goal?
Observers believe the Saudi support is a trump card Egypt can use to encourage the UAE [United Arab Emirates] to play an influential role in resolving the GERD crisis and breaking its neutrality. This is especially true in light of Abu Dhabi’s attempts to overcome its predicament with Cairo and broker a deal between the three GERD countries, namely Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.
And then get the United States to get involved by pressuring Ethiopia. I am not aware of any particular leverage the United States may have on Ethiopia, but maybe we do.
