Updated

Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is demanding an official explanation from Egypt after comments from politicians suggesting Egypt attack or sabotage a Nile River dam Ethiopia is building upstream from parched Egypt.

Ministry spokesman Dina Mufti said Thursday that Egypt's ambassador to Ethiopia has been summoned to explain the "hostile remarks."

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 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.