Ethiopian Premier arrives in Sharm El-Sheikh for Economic Conference

Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn arrived early on Friday at Sharm El-Sheikh to attend Egypt’s economic conference, which aims to put Egypt back on the map as an attractive investment destination, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab met his Ethiopian counterpart upon his arrival at Sharm El-Sheikh’s international airport, according to Ahram Online. 

Egyptian-Ethiopian relations have been tense in recent years, with Cairo concerned that a megadam being built on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia could affect the supply of Nile water to downstream Egypt.

Ethiopia has repeatedly said that Egypt will not be negatively affected by the dam.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia have recently reached a preliminary agreement on sharing the Nile’s waters and on the operation of the under-construction Grand Renaissance Dam.

Around 2,000 delegates from 112 nations will attend the Sharm conference, including 30 heads of state and executives of multinational companies.