Ties with Ethiopia in the headlines: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s speech at the Armed Forces Educational Symposium was all the talking heads could talk about last night:

The president said he will meet with and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Russia to talk about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the Egyptian president said without specifying a timeframe (watch, runtime: 10:12). Look for the gathering to take place as early as this month at a coming Russia-Africa gathering that is being hosted by Russian leader Vladimir Putin. We have more on this in this morning’s Diplomacy + Foreign Trade, below.

El Sisi also warned of the dangers of internal strife, arguing that ordinary Syrians are responsible for their country entering a civil war.

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