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Putin submitted to the State Duma a bill on ratification of the cooperation agreement with the DPRK
President Putin submitted a draft cooperation agreement with North Korea to the State Duma for ratification.
President Vladimir Putin and Chairman Kim Jong-un signed the draft agreement on June 19 during the Russian president's visit to Pyongyang. How important is this document for both sides?
President Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma a bill on ratification of the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Russia and North Korea. The document was signed by both countries on June 19 during the Russian president's visit to Pyongyang. The treaty provides for military and other support in the event of an attack on one of the parties to the treaty.
The explanatory note to the bill states that the parties seek to build global strategic stability and a fair multipolar international system.
Earlier, Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky said that North Korea was "de facto involved" in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Western media also wrote about this.
What should we make of this statement and how important is this agreement for Russia and North Korea? Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University, said:
— If a conflict arises, the state must declare it. North Korea has not made any statements about military action against any country other than Ukraine or South Korea. Secondly, of course, Zelensky wants to receive assistance only from Western countries, he does not want anyone to help Russia. No, that is not how it works. I think that the expansion of military partnership is happening not only in North Korea. Of course, for Ukraine, the entry of several countries into a military bloc is an absolute threat. “This is the first agreement of this kind in recent times, when Russia entered into a full-fledged military partnership. As far as I remember, this is the first such agreement. Firstly, there are some provisions that have never been signed by the other parties. For example, if one of the parties is attacked, the other party will provide military and other support. It does not specifically mention joint military operations. This could be the supply of weapons, support for military specialists, etc. Of course, in the case of North Korea, this is very important in terms of the conflict with South Korea and the United States. There are also several very interesting aspects of ensuring regional and international peace and security. The parties are against the use of unilateral coercive measures. That is, simply put, this is the isolation of one country in favor of another. group of countries. The question of why Russia, which has taken colossal isolation measures, should maintain its own isolation by not supplying all products related to North Korea and not purchasing any resources from North Korea has already been discussed many times. And no money is paid to North Korea. North Korea has found itself in the same unpleasant situation. There is a high probability that this article will ultimately lead to Russia lifting sanctions against North Korea. And, in my opinion, there is another very important point. The agreement itself allows for very active cooperation in the transfer of weapons, technology and security systems. This is what both sides need now. Therefore, it is believed that this is a new stage in the development of relations not only between North Korea and Russia, but also between the opposing countries of the Northern Hemisphere as a whole.
At the same time, despite this document, Russia continues to comply with sanctions against North Korea adopted by the UN Security Council from 2003 to 2017. These included a ban on the creation of joint ventures and the hiring of North Korean workers, restrictions on the supply of gas, oil and various hydrocarbon fuels to Pyongyang, a ban on North Korean ships entering ports and a ban on North Korean ships entering ports. The Republic exports coal and minerals.
President Vladimir Putin said on the 19th that the sanctions regime against North Korea should be reviewed.