WASHINGTON, June 17 (Yonhap) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to North Korea this week may produce a treaty on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in light of changes in geopolitics and bilateral relations, though it will not be aimed against other nations, Russia’s state media has reported.
Citing Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s aide for foreign affairs, TASS reported that Putin is set to visit Pyongyang on Tuesday and Wednesday for a summitry program that he cast as “very eventful” and “very intensive.”
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency also confirmed that Putin will pay a state visit to the North at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. It would mark Putin’s first visit to the North in nearly a quarter of a century.
“This can be said about a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,” Ushakov was quoted by TASS as saying.
“This document is being worked on and if it is signed, it will replace the fundamental documents that were inked in 1961, 2000 and 2021,” he added.
Th
e envisioned treaty will supplant the 1961 Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance, the 2000 Treaty of Friendship and Good Neighborly Cooperation, and the Moscow and Pyongyang Declarations of 2000 and 2001, according to the official.
He pointed out that the document will outline prospects for further cooperation and will be signed in light of “what has been happening between the two countries in recent years and in the sphere of international politics, economy and in the sphere of all types of communication, including issues of security.”
But he stressed that the treaty, if signed, will be geared toward ensuring stability in Northeast Asia rather than targeting any other countries.
“This treaty, if signed, is needed amid the profound evolution of the geopolitical situation in the world and in the region as well as qualitative changes in our bilateral relation in recent time,” he said.
“Naturally, it will respect all the basic principles of international law. It will not have a confrontational character
and will not be aimed against any countries.”
Putin’s visit has drawn keen international attention due to security implications of growing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang in the midst of Russia’s protracted war in Ukraine.
Washington has revealed that Pyongyang has shipped over 10,000 containers of munitions or munition-related materials to Russia since September, in addition to its missile shipments.
In return, the North has been seeking assistance from Moscow, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles and ballistic missile production equipment, according to U.S. officials.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
