Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned on Thursday Egypt’s ambassador to Addis Ababa over ‘hostile remarks’ by Egyptian politicians about a dam project on the Nile River

Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned on Thursday Egypt’s ambassador to Addis Ababa over ‘hostile remarks’ by Egyptian politicians about a dam project on the Nile River.

Egyptian Ambassador to Ethiopia Tarek Ghoneim was summoned to give an official explanation regarding the “hostile remarks,” Dina Mufti, a spokesman for the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. The spokesman said Ethiopia is awaiting a response.

Ethiopia a week ago started diverting the flow of the Nile River to make way for its $4.2 billion hydroelectric plant, dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt fears the dam will mean a diminished share of the Nile River.

Egyptian political leaders who met their president on Monday proposed aiding rebels against the Addis Ababa government. Sabotaging the dam itself was also mentioned by politicians who appeared not to know their meeting was being televised.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr, in a statement Thursday, said Egypt will seek to coordinate with Sudan and Ethiopia over the issue of the dam going forward. Amr also said Egypt's water security cannot be ignored or hurt.

On the same day, Egyptian presidential advisor Ayman Ali also warned that “all options are open” if the dam affects Egypt’s water supply.