Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew speaks during a news conference, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Feb. 18, 2020.
AP Photo / Mulugeta Ayene
Elias Meseret, AP’s reporter in Addis Ababa, scored an exclusive interview with the Ethiopia’s foreign minister on the controversial dam the country is building on the Blue Nile, the main tributary to the Nile River. The project has caused mounting tensions with Egypt. Foreign minister Gedu Andargachew, spoke freely during the newsmaking interview, saying his country intends to start filling the dam, whether or not an agreement is reached with Egypt. Meseret’s story was widely used and prompted a response by Egypt’s foreign minister.