Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborly Relations, and Cooperation between Russia and North Korea
4.1448 Treaty of Friendship, Good-Neighborly
Relations, and Cooperation between Russia
and North Korea
Alliance Members:Russia and North Korea
Signed On:February 9, 2000, in the city of Pyongyang (North Korea).
In force as of date of publication of this volume.
Alliance Type:Entente (Type III)
Source:The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press,September 5, 2001.
SUMMARY
Following the 1999 election of President Vladimir Putin in Russia,
North Korean and Russian leaders met to settle lingering tensions,
forge greater cooperation, and sign this treaty of friendship, good-
neighborliness, and cooperation in February 2000. Meeting in Mos-
cow, the two nations outlined specific areas of partnership, including
science, technology, and economic interests. Specific cooperation
included an agreement to work toward building a railway tying the
Korean peninsula with Russia and Europe.
Russia and North Korea also agreed to support the peaceful resolution
of the issue of Korean reunification. By committing to this, Russia
secured a place in any negotiations regarding the half-century dispute
on the peninsula, and North Korea gained another relatively powerful
negotiating partner.
Russia has been proven an important ally of North Korea, providing
both aid and support. However, that support has not been uncondi-
tional. Putin balked following North Korea’s withdrawal from the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 and North Korea’s suspen-
sion of six-party talks in 2005. Though the entente remains, Putin
signed an order forbidding Russian state and government agencies
and private companies from aiding North Korea’s nuclear efforts in
any way.
Description of Terms
Both parties agreed that if either state became the target of out-
side aggression, or if there was a threat to peace and security, the
two countries would consult and cooperate immediately. Both
parties also agreed that neither would sign any treaties or
involve itself in any arrangements that targeted the sovereignty
or territorial integrity of the other party.
4.1449 Defense Pact among the Gulf Coopera-
tion Council
Alliance Members:Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and
the United Arab Emirates
Signed On:December 31, 2000, in the city of Manama (Bahrain). In
force as of date of publication of this volume.
Alliance Type:Defense Pact (Type I)
Source:Agence France-Presse,December 31, 2000.
Additional Citations:Keesing’s Record of World Events,January 2001;
Washington Institute for Near East Policy,Policy Watch no. 511, Janu-
ary 16, 2001.
SUMMARY
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established in 1981, after
the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War, by Arab states seeking closer coop-
eration over political, economic, and military issues. The agreement
itself had no declarations of mutual defense, but the agreement was
nevertheless based largely on security concerns. Thus, while the GCC
included a joint military force called the Peninsula Shield, which con-
sisted of roughly 5,000 troops, the treaty had no military obligations.
During the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, it took several months for
the council to officially concede military action was needed.
This changed on December 31, 2000, as the six member states met and
signed this defense agreement, which pledged that all GCC members
would come to the aide of an ally in case of attack. The agreement also
increased the number of joint military defense troops assigned to the
GCC and established a system of early warnings and communication
links between the military headquarters of respective GCC members.
Nevertheless, despite the closer ties, the GCC continues to suffer from
small rifts among its membership, and member states remain cautious
in their political and military maneuvers.Description of Terms
The treaty committed member states to come to the aid of any
alliance member targeted by an external attack. A supreme
defense council would be established to oversee the implemen-
tation of the defense pact, and the rapid deployment force of
the GCC was enlarged to 22,000 troops.