The Russian foreign minister was in Addis Ababa to conclude a four-nation tour of Africa aimed at drumming up support for Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow supports Ethiopia’s efforts to stabilize its domestic situation in statements that attempted to contrast what he portrayed as Western interference.
Lavrov was in Addis Ababa on Wednesday to conclude a four-nation African tour aimed at rallying support for Moscow at a time of confrontation with Western powers over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Most African nations, aware of economic interests and historical ties to both Russia and the West, have declined to take sides in Ukraine.
Until the conflict erupted in November 2020 in the northern Tigray region, Ethiopia was considered a staunch ally of the West. The Ethiopian government has come under pressure from the United States and the European Union for its leadership of the conflict that has killed thousands and displaced millions.
“We reiterated our firm support for the government’s efforts to stabilize the situation and launch an inclusive national dialogue to resolve the key issues,” Lavrov said during a joint media briefing with his Ethiopian counterpart Demeke Mekonnen.
Lavrov described African countries trying to define their own futures and solve their own problems as part of a trend toward a multipolar world that he contrasted with the West’s quest for US hegemony.
Demeke said his country is grateful for “Russia’s unwavering support to help us uphold Ethiopia’s sovereignty.”
The Ethiopian government accuses its foreign critics of improperly interfering in its internal affairs.
Presenting Russia as a respectful friend of Africa, in contrast to overbearing Western powers with a colonial mindset, has been a leitmotif of Lavrov’s remarks on previous visits to the Republic of Congo and Uganda.
He delved further into the subject during a half-hour speech to diplomats at the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, in which he presented the Russian government’s positions on Ukraine and international relations in general.
“I’m sure that the overwhelming majority of countries in the world don’t want to live like they did in the colonial days [have] come back,” he said.
The Russian embassy did not want to say which ambassadors were invited to the event. Questions were asked by diplomats from South Sudan, Algeria and Pakistan before Lavrov left.