{"id":838392,"date":"2026-10-28T21:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T01:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/?p=838392"},"modified":"2026-10-28T19:47:28","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T23:47:28","slug":"russia-offers-to-host-ethiopia-and-eritrea-leaders-at-moscow-summit-lavrov-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.com\/index\/838392","title":{"rendered":"Russia offers to host Ethiopia and Eritrea leaders at Moscow summit, Lavrov says"},"content":{"rendered":"
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President Isaias Afwerki arrives in Moscow for the third Russia Africa summit, October 27, 2026. Photo: Eritrea's Ministry of Information (@hawelti) via X<\/em><\/p>\n

Russia is ready to bring the leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia together at its Africa summit in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, but neither Government has said whether it accepts.<\/p>\n

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the offer on Tuesday in a meeting with journalists from African countries, ahead of the third Russia Africa summit, which opened in Moscow on Wednesday. "If the leaders of the two countries show this kind of interest, now, tomorrow or the day after, at the summit, we will create every opportunity for them to make contact," Lavrov said, according to BBC Amharic.<\/p>\n

Lavrov said Russia wants the two neighbors to restore the relations they have cut. The current situation, he said, "is not good for two countries that have lived side by side for a long time, as they were once one country." He recalled that Russia had hosted talks between the two sides "a long time ago" and said any problem between them should be solved on the basis of good will and a balance of interests, BBC Amharic reported.<\/p>\n

Both leaders are in Moscow. President Isaias Afwerki arrived on Tuesday, and Eritrea's Information Minister, Yemane Gebremeskel, said he would also hold talks with President Vladimir Putin on bilateral ties and "other issues of mutual interest." Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived early on Wednesday. Neither Government has said publicly whether it accepts the Russian offer, and no meeting between the two leaders had been confirmed by Wednesday, the Ethiopian outlet Addis Standard reported.<\/p>\n

The timing of Ethiopia's announcement drew sharp comment. On the summit's opening day, Abiy said Ethiopia had received its first 12 Su-35 fighter jets from Russia, a year ahead of schedule, with four S-400 air defense batteries to follow. The Eritrean commentary account @eritrean_post called the offer "false mediation." It wrote that Russia's proposal "appears increasingly hollow as Moscow simultaneously finalizes major arms deliveries that strengthen the Ethiopian military amid Addis Ababa's open demands for access to Eritrea's sovereign coastline." It also noted that Eritrea was one of only five countries that voted against the 2022 United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Others were blunter. The Eritrean user @deb30911 called Lavrov's remarks a "publicity stunt" and rejected his line that the two countries were once one. "Eritrea does not negotiate on its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the user wrote, arguing that if Ethiopia wanted commercial access to the sea under international law, "Eritrea doesn't need Russia or any other third party."<\/p>\n

Eritrean opposition voices welcomed the idea of talks but turned the focus on Asmara. The Eritrean opposition group EBRF, in a post by @phelemawi, said it welcomed "every real effort for peace in the Horn of Africa," but added that Isaias "has ruled for over thirty years without an election." The post said a Government that silences Eritreans at home cannot be a reliable partner for its neighbors.<\/p>\n

Some voices urged the two leaders to take the chance. "This is a crucial opportunity to de-escalate before the conflict spills into a direct war," wrote @WediMahta, who said both leaders should "take the platform offered by the Kremlin." The account @Freedom71851 claimed in Tigrigna that Putin would meet Abiy on Wednesday and Isaias on Friday. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said Putin will meet Isaias on Friday, October 30, the African Initiative news agency reported. On Wednesday the Kremlin said Putin held talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the summit, where Putin said trade between the two countries topped 1.3 billion dollars from January to September.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, Yemane accused Ethiopia's ruling Prosperity Party, which he called the "Potemkin Party," of a campaign of "war and unremitting hostility" against Eritrea.<\/p>\n

Relations between the two countries collapsed on October 1, when Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara a week after fighting in Tigray resumed and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave within 48 hours, accusing them of activities that threatened its national security, BBC Amharic recalled. Diplomatic ties were then cut completely, BBC Amharic reported. Ethiopia has told the UN Security Council that Eritrean troops crossed into its territory, a charge Asmara denies. Eritrea accuses Ethiopia of preparing to invade its ports in the name of sea access.<\/p>\n

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov first raised the mediation idea about a week ago in an interview with a Russian newspaper, BBC Amharic noted. Neither Ethiopia nor Eritrea has formally answered, the BBC said.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h4>\n