Cairo: Egypt and Sudan on Thursday reaffirmed their rejection of any unilateral measures in the Eastern Nile Basin that could harm their water interests, urging Ethiopia to abandon such actions.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the appeal came during talks in Cairo between Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Sudan's transitional Prime Minister Kamil Idris, where the two sides reviewed the latest developments related to the Nile file. The prime ministers called on Ethiopia to abandon its unilateral approach and to adhere to international law governing shared waterways.

They specifically urged Ethiopia to comply with established principles of prior notification, consultation, avoidance of significant harm and consensus, stressing that the Nile should remain a source of cooperation and shared prosperity for all riparian states. Both downstream countries of the Nile stressed the need to protect their water security and preserve their full water rights and uses in line with the 1959 agreement and international law.

They also agreed to fully coordinate positions in regional and international forums dealing with Nile issues, emphasizing Egyptian and Sudanese water security as one indivisible whole. The two sides reiterated their categorical rejection of any unilateral measures in the Eastern Nile Basin that could harm the water interests of downstream countries or threaten their water security. They warned that such actions violate international law and constitute a persistent source of regional instability.