Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions
REAFFIRMING their commitment to the settlement of all
international disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the
Charter of the United Nations and international law;
RECOGNISING that each Party has primary responsibility
for its own security;
MINDFUL of the contribution that would be made to their
own security and that of the region by cooperating in the devel-
opment of effective national capabilities in the defence field and
hence their national resilience and self-reliance;
NOTING that nothing in this Agreement affects in any way
the existing international commitments of either Party;
THEREFORE AGREE as follows:
Article 1. The Parties undertake to consult at ministerial level
on a regular basis about matters affecting their common secu-
rity and to develop such cooperation as would benefit their own
security and that of the region.
Article 2. The Parties undertake to consult each other in the
case of adverse challenges to either party or to their common
security interests and, if appropriate, consider measures which
might be taken either individually or jointly and in accordance
with the processes of each Party.
Article 3. The Parties agree to promote—in accordance with
the policies and priorities of each—mutually beneficial cooper-
ative activities in the security field in areas to be identified by
the two Parties.
Article 4. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of
the later notification by either Government of the fulfilment of
its requirements for entry into force of this Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly
authorised by their respective Governments, have signed this
Agreement.
DONE at Jakarta on the eighteenth day of December, one
thousand nine hundred and ninety-five in the English and
Indonesian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA:
GARETH EVANS
Minister for Foreign Affairs
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF
INDONESIA:
ALI ALATAS
Minister for Foreign Affairs4.1445 Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in
Border Regions
Alliance Members:China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
and Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan rejoined on June 15, 2001, when the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established)
Signed On:April 27, 1996, in the city of Shanghai (China). In force as
of date of publication of this volume.
Alliance Type:Non-Aggression Pact (Type II)
Source: International Telecommunications Union,
http://missions.itu.int/~kazaks/eng/sco/sco02.htmSUMMARY
Relations between the Soviet Union and China have often been tense.
During the cold war, the Soviet Union and China disagreed ideologi-
cally and competed for spheres of influence. The two countries also
share the world’s longest border, which has provided a consistent
source of conflict. Since the late 1980s, however, both sides began to
gradually reduce border tensions, and in 1989, President Mikhail Gor-
bachev of Russia called for demilitarization along the border.
Cross-border cooperation was formalized by China, Russia, Kaza-
khstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan when their representa-
tives met in April 1996 in Shanghai and signed an agreement concern-
ing their border areas. On April 24, 1997, the Shanghai Five (the
members of the April 27, 1996, alliance minus Uzbekistan) once again
met and agreed to reduce the number of forces stationed along the
former Sino-Soviet border.
Since the original 1996 meeting, the Shanghai Five have continued to
cooperate on various issues and have signed an increasing number of
confidence-building measures. Each year the five nations have also
held annual summits to discuss regional security issues. Both China
and Russia agreed to withdraw offensive weaponry from within 200
kilometers of the border. There have also been agreements to decrease
the likelihood of military accidents as well as declarations detargeting
their nuclear weapons.
On June 15, 2001, cooperation led to the creation of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO). The charter of the SCO declared
that the goal of the organization was to increase mutual trust and rela-
tions as well as foster cooperation in economics, trade, security, and
other issues of regional interest.Description of Terms
The allies pledged that none of the parties would station troops
on the border for attacks against one of the parties. The parties
also agreed not to threaten the use of force or any type of
aggression that would destabilize the security of the border
regions.
All parties also agreed to exchange information regarding
their military forces along the border, pledged not to conduct
military exercises targeting other allies, and would inform all
parties regarding troops and munitions that temporarily
entered the 100-kilometer zone along the border.4.1446 Defense Pact between the Democratic
Republic of the Congo and the Central African
Republic
Alliance Members:Congo and the Central African Republic
Signed On:May 11, 1998, in the city of Kinshasa (Congo). In force as
of date of publication of this volume.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:BBC Summary of World Broadcasts,May 14, 1998.