The role of P. M. Vlasov's diplomatic activity in the rapprochement of the Russian and Ethiopian Empires (1898-1900)

The purpose of the study is to analyze the diplomatic activities of the acting State Councillor P. M. Vlasov as head of the Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission in Addis Ababa (1898-1900). The novelty of the research consists in studying the direct role of a diplomat in the rapprochement of the Russian and Ethiopian empires. As a result of the conducted research, it was found out that during the two-year stay in Abyssinia, P. M. Vlasov was able to fully realize the tasks assigned to him, collect truthful information about the host country, form a positive image of his Fatherland, and earn the trust of the Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II (1889-1913). P. M. Vlasov's diplomatic activity demonstrated the prospects of the Abyssinian vector of Russian foreign policy and paved the way for the opening of a permanent Russian representative office in Ethiopia.