Egypt denies claims of allowing Ethiopia Red Sea access for Nile dam concessions  – Middle East Monitor 04:58 

February 25, 2026 at 9:52 am

A view shows Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa's largest hydroelectric project, during a ceremony attended by leaders and citizens from several African countries on the Nile River in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia, on September 9, 2025. [Photo by Daniel Terefe/Anadolu via Getty Images]

A view shows Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed inaugurating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, during a ceremony attended by leaders and citizens from several African countries on the Nile River in Benishangul-Gumuz, Ethiopia, on September 9, 2025. [Photo by Daniel Terefe/Anadolu via Getty Images]

Egypt on Tuesday evening denied reports claiming it was prepared to grant Ethiopia maritime access to the Red Sea in return for flexibility from Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a long-running source of tension between the two countries.

According to Egypt’s state news agency, Middle East News Agency, an official source categorically rejected circulating “reports that Egypt is ready to grant Ethiopia maritime access to the Red Sea in exchange for Ethiopian flexibility regarding the dam”.

The source stressed that “such reports are entirely baseless and unfounded.” 

He reaffirmed that “Egypt’s stance on water security and the GERD remains firm and unchanged.” 

READ: Egypt calls for cooperation among Nile Basin countries, rejects ‘unilateral measures’ on river

Egypt, the source added, “continues to adhere to international law, reject unilateral measures, safeguard its water share, and preserve the full rights of the two downstream countries, in line with established principles of international law.” 

The source added that governance and security of the Red Sea are restricted to countries bordering the sea, describing it as a strategic waterway directly linked to the national security of those states. 

“No other states have the right to participate in any arrangements or understandings concerning the Red Sea,”, he added— in an apparent reference to Ethiopia, which is landlocked and does not border the sea.

Officials in Addis Ababa have repeatedly spoken of Ethiopia’s need for access to the Red Sea, while Egypt has consistently rejected the presence of any non-littoral state in Red Sea arrangements.

Egypt denies report it offered Ethiopia Red Sea access over Gerd  – The New Arab 12:27 Wed, 25 Feb