So a left-wing Ethiopian might be interesting, but for us to work with them they would need to have acess to the Indian Ocean by themselves, not trough a European Colony. ;D
That is a valid point, which connects two things: Soviet operations in Africa and need to have an access to the Indian Ocean, or in other words old geopolitical ambition of both Russian Empire and USSR - a drive for warm water ports. So this is my third and final initiative for this week, similar to initiatives in Balkans -
establishing and expanding economic and industrial relations with Persia and Afghanistan - 2 countries strategically located in the south separating USSR from India and the Indian Ocean.
On the topic of warm-water ports, a control of such a port is a vital for national interest of USSR, as Soviet naval and commerical shipping are limited by geography and climate. Free access to the sea is a vital requisite for a modern state, so the quest for an ice-free port is an inevitable part of Soviet foreign policy, geopolitical and economic independence and security will be always depended upon access to the seas.
Warm water outlet to the Indian Ocean is a prerequisite for capturing a fair share of trade with India and the Orient, thereby creating markets essential to the industrial and commercial development of Central Asia. Breaking thorough the southern barrier (Turkey, Persia, Afghanistan) is important because it will allow the USSR to establish a presence in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East area, and from there to project the power throughout the hemisphere. Because the Persian Gulf area is a bridge between Africa and the Indian Ocean basin, establishing a secure foothold there is a critical to the overall improvement of the Soviet global strategic posture.
And the first steps to achieve our geopolitical goals would be as in cases of other states, to establish commercial and economic relations with both Persia and Afghanistan, by modernising and developing both agriculture and industry. But our main goal will always remain the same -
to create the co-dependencies between USSR and other countries. As those economic co-dependencies we will sooner or later turn into a political capital, and it will enable to control the fear of losing source of income to allow us to control given country internal and external policies. What is more the whole region, from Turkey to India is more or less controlled by the British Imperial Federation, so it is most imperative for USSR, to establish its own commercial, political and diplomatic presence in the region.