Ethiopia's FM leaves for Sudan on official visit

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu, left here on Sunday for an official visit to Ethiopia's neighboring country Sudan.

Gebeyehu's visit came amid the souring relations among Sudan and Ethiopia's archrival Eritrea, as Sudan recently closed its eastern border with the Red Sea nation.

According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gebeyehu is expected to discuss with senior Sudanese officials on ways of strengthening ties among the two countries in political, economic, and social areas.

Prior to Gebeyehu's visit to Sudan, Sudanese Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Emad al-Din Mustafa Adawi had visited Ethiopia and discussed with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on regional security issues.

The closure of the border by Sudan came amid reports that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had set up a military camp in Eritrea.

Gebeyehu was also in UAE for an official visit last week.

The diplomatic relations among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt is largely intertwined with the Blue Nile River that originates from Ethiopia and shared among the three countries.

The construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the river, which will be regarded as Africa's largest dam upon completion with a total volume of 74,000 million cubic meters, has been a major issue between the three countries since its commencement in April 2011 with a construction cost of 80 billion Ethiopian birr (close to 4.7 billion U.S. dollars).

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have formed a tripartite committee back in 2012 to create understanding and look into the benefits and impacts the project would have on the three countries.

Ethiopia and Sudan had signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance joint security and military cooperation between the two neighboring countries in the fight against terrorism.

Ethiopia and Sudan have also reached consensus regarding the construction of Ethiopia's dam, while Egypt has been expressing its concern over the potential impact it would have on its water share of the river. Enditem