The head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has said that Khartoum and Addis Ababa are “aligned and in agreement” on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile.

According to a statement obtained by the Africanews, al-Burhan made the remarks came during a meeting on Thursday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who was on a one-day visit to Khartoum.

“Burhan emphasised… that Sudan and Ethiopia are aligned and in agreement on all issues regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD),” according to a statement by the sovereign council, which he chairs.

Dr. Abiy “confirmed that the Renaissance Dam will not cause any harm to Sudan but will have benefits for it in terms of electricity,” the statement said.

The GERD has been a source of tensions between Ethiopia and downstream countries, Egypt and Sudan, for the last decade.

Multiple rounds of talks between the three governments have failed to produce an agreement over the filling and operation of the reservoir.

Egypt is dependent on the Nile for irrigation and drinking water and the Blue Nile accounts for more than 80 percent of its flow.