The talks come after a joint statement by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi made in July on the need for accelerated negotiations to finalize guidelines and regulations for the first filling and annual operation of the dam.
A one-day gathering of technical specialists from the three nations preceded the fourth round of the meeting. The ministerial meeting will expand upon prior discussions in order to maintain momentum toward convergence, according to an Ethiopian Foreign Ministry's statement.
At the end of August, the first negotiations in more than two years took place in Egypt. The second round took place in September in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, but did not bring tangible changes in Ethiopia's position, Cairo said. The third round took place in Egypt last month.
Ethiopia has been implementing a large dam project on the Blue Nile since 2011. Experts say the dam's launch will inevitably lead to water shortages in Sudan and Egypt, continuing to cause tension in their relations with Ethiopia.
Tensions between the three African countries peaked in the summer of 2020 when Ethiopia began filling the reservoir without agreeing to do so with the other two states. In September 2023, Ethiopia announced the completion of filling the dam. Egypt called the move illegal, adding that it would affect ongoing negotiations.