Shoukry urges Ethiopia, Sudan to speed up GERD talks: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry called on Ethiopia and Sudan to expedite negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) during a meeting on Thursday with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andaragachew, according to a ministry statement. Shoukry also said he intends to call a tripartite meeting soon between the three countries’ foreign and irrigation ministers to continue talks. The planned construction of the 6 GW GERD has been a source of tension between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia for several years now, and the issue remains unresolved.