Chapter 478 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance

It was already late at night in Moscow.

The lights on the streets were just coming on and it was a quiet evening.

A car broke the silence and drove quickly on the streets of Moscow. The driver honked the horn hard and drove towards the Kremlin at almost the speed of an arrow.

In the car, a short yellow man was frowning. As an experienced diplomat, he knew how difficult it was to accomplish the task assigned to him by the General Secretary. However, he had to do it himself! Because he was the North Korean diplomat in Moscow, Park Jung-hee, and as the representative of Fatty Kim, he was going to protest to the Soviet leaders!

"Creaky!" The car stopped outside the Kremlin. He opened the door and hurried up the stairs.

"I'm sorry, the General Secretary is very busy and has no time to see you." Park Jung-hee originally planned to meet with the Soviet General Secretary Andropov, but he did not get permission.

"Then can I see Marshal Ustinov?"

"Sorry, not here either."

"Then may I ask..." Park Jung-hee was thinking in his mind, who else can he go to? At this moment, the guard on duty received a call: "You can see Comrade Gromyko in the conference room on the third floor."

Gromyko! The Soviet Foreign Minister, yes, it would be nice to meet him! Park Jung-hee walked upstairs.

"Minister Gromyko, I'm glad to see you." Park Jung-hee said to Gromyko, "I came here this time to ask you for your help. When will the food and supplies you are going to provide us arrive?"

"I'm sorry, Ambassador Park, we have passed a decision that this kind of aid will no longer be available. If you need it, you have to purchase it according to international prices," said Gromyko.

Aid! Because North Korea has been developing its military, it has lagged behind in other areas. For example, North Korea cannot be self-sufficient in food production and needs to obtain it from the outside world. In the past, it has always been assisted by the Soviet Union and China.

However, now, the Soviet Union has decided not to provide aid to North Korea! This will seriously affect North Korea's overall development!

"But haven't we signed the Soviet-North Korean Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance? According to the signing of the treaty at that time, we can get economic assistance from your side," said Park Jung-hee.

As a testimony to the friendship between the Soviet Union and North Korea, the Soviet-North Korean Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1961. This treaty has a preamble and 6 articles. The main content is that if any contracting party is attacked by any country or alliance of countries and is in a state of war, the other party shall immediately provide military and other assistance to the best of its ability; both parties guarantee not to conclude any alliance against the other party, nor to participate in any alliance or action against the other party; both parties will consult with each other on all major international issues involving the interests of the two countries; both parties guarantee to develop and strengthen economic and cultural ties between the two countries in a spirit of friendship and cooperation, and provide each other with all possible assistance.

After the treaty was signed in 1961, it was valid for 10 years. If neither party proposed to terminate it one year before the expiration date, it would remain valid for another 5 years. So far, the treaty has been extended twice.

It was under this treaty that all possible assistance was given to each other, allowing North Korea to obtain sufficient economic support from the Soviet Union. Without funds, North Korea would be unable to do anything.

(Some data also say that North Korea's economy was much better than South Korea's before the 1990s? I have some doubts about this. I hope those who know the answer can provide some information in the book review area. If North Korea's economy is better than South Korea's, why is there only one fat man in North Korea?)

This was a heavy burden for the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union won over a group of younger brothers and established the Warsaw Pact. The younger brothers were all poor and needed Soviet aid from time to time! The United States was different. The United States won over a group of younger brothers and established NATO. The younger brothers were all rich. Whenever the United States had a crisis, it would fleece the younger brothers and pass on the crisis.

This situation did not change until last year. After the Soviet Union made a major breakthrough in the Far East, it gained an economically developed country like the island nation as its younger brother. Relying on the island nation, the Soviet Union's overall economic and technological levels were raised to a higher level. The Soviet Union finally had someone to fleece.

While finding the fat sheep, we should also get rid of the burden, especially a burden like North Korea, which is simply a pure burden!

If in the past, North Korea was still the bridgehead for the Soviet Union and the United States to compete in the Far East, what about now? The Soviet Union has a better bridgehead! With the island country occupied, the Soviet Navy can go deep into the ocean at any time and take a stroll near Hawaii! North Korea's status has greatly declined! The United States continues to instigate South Korea to create chaos in the east? Don't be kidding, look at the map, the island country just surrounds the periphery of the Korean Peninsula! When the United States supported the Korean War, it was based on the island country. Without the island country, the United States can't make any waves on the Korean Peninsula!

In this case, North Korea's position is just a chicken rib. If North Korea is smart enough and behaves as a younger brother, the Soviet Union can still protect it. However, North Korea has never been a good thing.

Especially now, the Soviet Union's attitude towards the Iran-Iraq War is very clear. The Soviet Union supports Iraq! However, North Korea dares to get involved with Iran and secretly exports weapons to Iran in exchange for funds! Since North Korea has this ability, why does it need Soviet aid?

In particular, North Korea dared to develop ballistic missiles! This was even more intolerable to the Soviet Union. Due to geographical location, the Soviet Union had always been opposed to North Korea's ballistic missiles. The Soviet Union only exported to North Korea frog-type unguided rockets with a range of less than 100 kilometers, and did not export guided missiles to North Korea at all, not even Scuds.

It's very simple. If we export it to countries like Iraq and Syria, they don't have the industrial base, so they can't imitate it at all. Even if we give them the production line, they will just produce it according to the production line and will never improve it. However, if we give it to North Korea, it will be different. North Korea will cut it open, lengthen it, make it thicker, and then increase the range!

"Yes, Ambassador Park, we do have this mutual assistance treaty. However, you also said that this treaty is for mutual assistance. But over the years, we have always been supporting North Korea, and we have not felt any help from North Korea?"

Mutual assistance! Even if it was economic assistance, it was mutual, and it did not say that the Soviet Union fully supported North Korea! Now, Gromyko relied on this loophole in the treaty to block Ambassador Park's mouth: "Excuse me, can you help us with some Soviet goods?"