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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.