Haile Selassie

“ Ethiopia is a peace-loving nation. Except for those times when it had to rise up in arms to fight-off aggression or to advance the cause of collective security; there is not one instance in history of Ethiopia provoking a conflict by violating territorial integrity or by interfering in the internal affairs of others, and there will never be any such instance. ”

“ Ethiopia is, by her own choice, a nonaligned state. Our Policies on the vexatious international issues of the day have been declared to all, and our adherence to them is steadfast: the urgent imperative of universal disarmament, the settlement of disputes by peaceful negotiation, the supremacy of reason and logic over force and irrationality. ”

“ However, Ethiopia will never be found wanting in its efforts to strengthen its defence force, sustained as it is by the traditional valor of its gallant people, to thwart the designs of those who are bent on violating the freedom and unity of its people and its territorial integrity. ”