RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has extended its support to Egypt to Sudan in preserving their legitimate water rights. In a statement on Tuesday carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the Kingdom reiterated the importance of maintaining water security for Egypt and Sudan, the Arab world and the African continent. In the statement, Saudi Arabia backed the efforts of Egypt and Sudan to ease the crisis and their demand for a solution in accordance with rules of international law. The Kingdom also pledged its supports for international efforts aimed at finding a binding solution to end the crisis. The Kingdom called on the international community to intensify efforts to find a clear mechanism to start negotiations among the three countries (EgyptSudan and Ethiopia) to end the crisis in line, which is in their own interests and the interests of the Nile Basin countries and the future of the people of the region. Saudi Arabia's support for Egypt and Sudan comes after Ethiopia said that it has begun filling the reservoir behind its giant hydropower dam, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), for a second year. Angered by the Ethiopian move, Egypt expressed its categorical rejection of the measure, calling it a threat to regional stability. Egypt views the dam as a grave threat to its Nile water supplies, on which it is almost entirely dependent. Sudan, another downstream country, has expressed concern about the safety of the dam and the impact on its own dams and water stations.
