April 5, 2021 (KHARTOUM) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with the Sudanese Prime minister the border tensions with Ethiopia and the stalled process on the hydropower dam.

Sudan calls to involve the United States in the talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam together with the European Union and the United Nations.

In his second phone conversation with Hamdok on Monday, Blinken discussed several issues related to the ongoing democratic transition and peace process with the holdout groups.

"They also discussed negotiations related to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as well as the need to deescalate tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia over the al-Fashaga border area," said Ned Price the State Department spokesperson after the call.

"They including recent commitments to engage in dialogue to resolve the issue," Price added referring to the ongoing meeting in Kinshasa over the GERD process and statements by the two countries to settle the border standoff.

The Biden administration strongly criticized its Ethiopian ally over the grave human rights violations in the Tigray Region.

Also, Washington seeks to press Addis Ababa and Khartoum to deescalate border tensions and hold unconditional negotiations.

On Monday, Ethiopian Ambassador to Khartoum Yibeltal Aemero told the head of UN political Mission in Sudan (UNITMAS) Volker Perthes that his government is committed to reaching a negotiated solution for the border dispute with Sudan

"Ambassador Yibeltal expressed Ethiopia’s commitment to the peaceful resolution of the border issue with Sudan based on existing joint mechanisms and legal documents between the two brotherly nations," reads a statement released by the Ethiopian foreign ministry.

(ST)