Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi received Chairman of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan in Cairo for talks on latest developments, including the GERD.

The massive $4.2 billion dam, set to be the largest hydro-electric scheme in Africa, has been at the center of a regional dispute ever since Ethiopia broke ground on the project in 2011.

Cairo has reiterated its demand that Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan reach a legally-binding agreement to fill and operate the dam.

The last round of talks between the three countries in Kinshasa ended in early April 2021 with no progress made.

On Saturday, Sisi said Egypt looked forward to further strengthening relations with Sudan to realize the interests of the two brotherly countries and peoples, especially at the security, military, economic and trade levels.

He stressed his country’s keenness to provide all means of support to achieve political, security and economic stability in Sudan.

Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Rady said satisfaction was expressed with the level of ongoing coordination between the two countries.

The officials stressed the importance of strengthening economic relations and increasing trade to be commensurate with the existing momentum in political and military relations, and the historical ties that unite their peoples.

For his part, Burhan said he holds in high esteem the long-standing ties between Sudan and Egypt.