BEIJING. June 20 (Interfax) - The bilateral treaty of comprehensive strategic partnership, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meets fundamental interests of peoples in both countries and contributes to ensuring peace, regional and global security, and stability, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The sides pledge "to preserve the historical traditions of Korean-Russian friendship and cooperation and to build future-oriented interstate relations of a new epoch," the treaty says.
The sides reaffirm "the commitment to protect international justice from hegemonic aspirations and attempts to push for a unipolar world order, and to build a multipolar international system based on good-faith cooperation between states, mutual respect for interests, and collective resolution of international problems," it says.
The sides are ready "to counter any challenges threatening the existence of mankind by combined efforts," the treaty says.
Russia and North Korea agree to cooperate "for the sake of enduring regional and international peace and security" and, "in case of a direct threat of armed aggression against either of them, pledge the immediate start of consultations through bilateral channels," the treaty says.
"Should either side face an armed attack by one or several states and thus find itself in a state of war, the other side shall immediately provide military and other assistance by all means at its disposal in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter and legislation of the Russian Federation and North Korea," Article 4 of the Treaty says.
The treaty tasks both sides with developing "mechanisms for joint measures towards enhancing defense capacities to prevent a war and to maintain regional and international peace and security," as well as with "giving the joint response to strategic threats and challenges."
The sides undertake to counter "unilateral coercive measures," including those extraterritorial, and define them as illegal and in violation of the UN Charter and international law, the treaty says.
Russia and North Korea pledge to interact in the fight against international terrorism and other threats and challenges, including illegal financial transactions, financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, etc., the treaty says.
They will develop exchanges and cooperation and will encourage joint scientific and technological research in space, biology, peaceful use of atomic energy, artificial intelligence, information technologies, and other fields.
The treaty signed on June 19, 2024, is due to be ratified and take indefinite effect on the day of exchange of the instruments of ratification.