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Documents

March 29, 1989

Letter, Koenig to Cdes. Dohlus, Sieber, and Rabenhorst

During a meeting with Ethiopian leader Mengistu Haile Mariam, Mikhail Gorbachev underlined the importance of a political solution to the conflict. After an immediate ceasefire, negotiations without preconditions should start, based on the territorial integrity of Ethiopia.

July 1988

'Information About the Highlights of a Brief Working Visit to the USSR (25-27 July This Year [1988]) of the General Secretary of the WPE CC, the President of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Mengistu Haile Mariam'

Soviet authorities inform their Hungarian allies of the outcome of Mengistu’s August 1988 visit to Moscow. Mengistu has ignored Soviet pleas to find a peaceful solution to the Eritrean conflict.

June 6, 1988

East German Ministry of State Security, 'The Current Situation in PDRE [People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia] and the Region'

Stasi report on the current state of Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict as of early June 1988. It concludes that in the event of Mengistu turning toward Moscow for additional arms supplies, the latter is likely to reject them in favor of a political solution to the conflict.

June 1988

East German Ministry for State Security, 'On the Position of the Army in the Political System of Ethiopia

Excerpt of a Stasi report on the Ethiopian army. This portion of the report deals with the Army’s dissatisfaction with the quality of the Soviet Union’s armaments; the East German material ponders how much of this is part of anti-Soviet sentiment, and how much is due to their professional incapacity.

April 30, 1987

East German Ministry for State Security, 'Consultations with KGB 21-24 April 1987, About Ethiopian Consultation'

Discusses the KGB’s opinion of Mengistu, the level of support for the Ethiopian intelligence services, and the difficulties the Soviets experienced in dealing with their Ethiopian counterparts within specific fields of state security.

August 18, 1981

Telegram from Czechoslovak Embassy in Addis Ababa

Prague’s representation to Addis Ababa offers an insight into the Soviet Union’s economic assistance toward Ethiopia in the early 1980s, while voicing, at the same time, the Soviet economic delegation’s nuanced and candid impression of Mengistu’s abilities to control the course of the revolutionary transformations.

January 16, 1978

British Foreign Office, 'Soviet Role in the Horn of Africa'

Drawing upon British concerns with respect to their possible reaction to Moscow’s support for Ethiopia against Somalia’s aggression, the Foreign Office Planning Staff looks into the wider international implications of the conflict in the Horn.

September 2, 1977

Message from Yugolav Embassy Addis Ababa, 'The Soviet Ambassador on the Ethiopian-Soviet Relations'

A detailed view of Soviet reactions toward the Ethiopian-Somali conflict as of early September 1977, showing Moscow’s envoy to Addis Ababa’s conviction that Ethiopia would emerge victorious from the war. However, this document also gives a somewhat critical view on the part of Yugoslav’s diplomat regarding the Soviets’ unofficial and unsuccessful attempt to persuade Ethiopia to surrender part of Ogaden in order to appease the Somalis.

July 13, 1977

Conversation with Provisional Military Administrative Council (PMAC) Chairman Mengistu Haile Mariam

Demonstrates Soviet willingness to provide good offices to Somalia and Ethiopia in normalizing their relationships in July 1977. Even as late as July, Moscow believed the conflict between the two states could be solved through peaceful means.

January 29, 1977

Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 'Urgent note on Aid to Ethiopia from the Countries of the Socialist Community, Including Poland’s'

Discusses the state of affairs in Soviet Bloc-Ethiopian relations, briefly charting other socialist states’ involvement with Addis Ababa during that period. It also draws suggestions for the possible path of relationship expansion between Poland and Ethiopia, including small military deliveries, as suggested by the Soviets.

Pagination