The Normative Status of the 2015 Agreement on the Declaration of Principles
Can making a declaratory agreement on the existing principles of international water law between countries be a treaty per se and puts a treaty obligation onto the parties to this declaratory agreement?
Principle of cooperation, Principle of Equitable and Reasonable Utilization, Principle not to cause significant harm, principle of exchange of information and data, principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and principle of peaceful settlement of disputes are the principles agreed by Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan in their agreement of declaration of principles.
Hence making an agreement on the known principles is not a treaty which can be regulated by international law and the agreement has no any subject matter than reaffirming the principles of international law.
Hence the DoP which was signed between the three countries is not a treaty as it does not have a subject matter than being a gadget of pre-existing principles of international law.
The DoP is a mere restatement of general principles of international law and making an agreement on any issue is not a treaty.
