Russia and North Korea to sign strategic partnership treaty

The Kremlin has said the agreement seeks to boost regional stability and is not directed against third countries

Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved the draft of a strategic partnership treaty with North Korea, which is expected to be signed during his upcoming visit to Pyongyang.

The Russian leader will begin a two-day state visit to North Korea on Tuesday, which will include a face-to-face meeting with the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, as well as talks on a wide range of issues, including security, the economy, and the international agenda.

Hours before Putin’s scheduled arrival in Pyongyang, Moscow released a presidential decree stating that it accepts “the proposal of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the signing of… Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.”

The signing of the deal will take place “at the highest level.” The decree also allows the Russian Foreign Ministry to “introduce changes to the draft agreement that are not of a fundamental nature.”

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Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said on Monday that the treaty will supersede several agreements between the two countries dating back to the Soviet era and the early 2000s.

Ushakov noted that the treaty “will outline the prospects for further cooperation” and will take into account recent developments in relations between Moscow and Pyongyang.

The agreement, he added, “will not be confrontational and directed against any countries, but will be aimed at ensuring greater stability in the North-East Asia region.”

The announcement came after Putin said earlier this month that Russia intends to develop relations with North Korea “whether anyone likes it or not.” In an article for the North Korean daily Rodong Sinmun published on Monday, he also said that Moscow and Pyongyang “will develop alternative trade and mutual settlements mechanisms not controlled by the West, jointly oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions, and shape the architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.”