An Egyptian official on Tuesday denied a report claiming Cairo offered to help Ethiopia secure access to the Red Sea in exchange for flexibility over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Reports that Cairo could help the landlocked country access the sea are "entirely unfounded", and Egypt's position on the dispute remains unchanged, an unnamed official told Egypt's state news agency MENA. The report, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, claimed that Cairo had offered to negotiate with its allies to provide Ethiopia with commercial access to the sea if Ethiopia makes concessions over its use of the Nile's water and refrains from stationing its military in the Red Sea. Ethiopia has refused to slow the filling of the dam's reservoir or increase the volume of water it allows to flow downstream to Egypt. Sea access is a vital strategic interest to Ethiopia, which lost its Red Sea coastline after Eritrea declared independence more than three decades ago.

Source: Ethiopian News February 25, 2026 17:22 UTC