On March 24, 2009, at the Institute of Asian and African Studies of Moscow State University, the International Center for Korean Studies held a "round table" on the development of trade and economic relations between the Russian Federation and the DPRK, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the agreement on economic and trade cooperation between the USSR and the DPRK and the 50th anniversary of the agreement on Both documents laid the foundation for the long-term progressive development of trade and economic ties between the two countries and created conditions for the restoration and modernization of the DPRK's industrial base. Until the late 1980s, the USSR was the largest economic partner of the DPRK; in the 1970s and 1980s, it accounted for from a quarter to a half of the republic's foreign trade turnover.

By the beginning of the new century, the trade turnover between the two countries had decreased by more than 20 times, the share of Russia in the DPRK's foreign trade had fallen to 4%, and mutual investments had completely stopped. Unfortunately, it can be stated that the current Russian participation in economic exchanges with the DPRK is absolutely inadequate to Russia's economic and political interests in Northeast Asia and on the Korean Peninsula.

Changes in the geopolitical system of the world that took place at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries bring to the forefront of international politics the economic factor, the corresponding political and diplomatic support for the economic interests of states. The most important task is to preserve not only the geopolitical, but also the geo-economic balance of forces around the Korean Peninsula. These considerations dictate the need to restore full-scale economic cooperation between Russia and the DPRK.

A round table was devoted to discussing these problems and prospects for bilateral trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, which was attended by scientists, representatives of state structures and private organizations of the Russian Federation.

North Korean media representatives Choe Hak Cher (chief correspondent of the Nodong Sinmun newspaper in Moscow) and Lee Chol Soo (correspondent of the Korean Central Telegraph Agency) were present as guests.

The following issues were put on the agenda of the meeting: the problem of North Korean debt to Russia; the reunification of the Trans-Siberian and Trans-Korean railway lines; the DPRK's nuclear missile program; energy problems of the Korean peninsula; the problem of the information vacuum and distorted politicized representation of the DPRK in the Russian media; the role of the state in promoting the development of trade and economic contacts between the two countries; prospects for attracting Russian business interest in economic projects on the Korean Peninsula.

Welcoming the participants, MSU ISAA Director M. S. Meyer stressed the importance of holding such events, as such an exchange of views can be useful for making practical decisions in the development of bilateral relations.

Further presentations were made by: Yu. V. Vanin (Leading Researcher of the Mongolia-Korea Department of the Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences)- "Historical significance of the Agreement on Economic and Cultural cooperation between the DPRK and the USSR of March 17, 1949", and P. S. Leshakov (Director of the International Center for Korean Studies of the Lomonosov Moscow State University) - " The Place of the DPRK in the economic interests of Russia on the Korean Peninsula."

Yu. V. Vanin stressed that the 1949 agreement was the first international treaty concluded by the DPRK since its foundation (1948). During the visit to Moscow of the North Korean delegation headed by Kim Il Sung, a number of additional agreements were also concluded: on credit, technical assistance, sending Soviet specialists to the DPRK, etc. Thanks to these documents, the number of economic contacts increased significantly in 1949, and trade turnover tripled compared to the previous year; however, the growth of trade and economic relations was interrupted by the Korean War in 1950. After the signing of the armistice in 1953, the USSR allocated 1 billion dollars to help the DPRK on a free basis, first, and then another 200 million US dollars. In 1959, an agreement was signed on the provision of technical assistance to the DPRK by the USSR. On its basis, the construction of a combined heat and power plant, the launch of a plant in Seongjin (Kim Chak), the exchange of scientists, students and specialists, and the free provision of licenses and documentation for various equipment and equipment began in the DPRK. Thus, on the basis of the 1949 and 1959 agreements, trade and economic relations between the two countries were regulated for a long time.

P. S. Leshakov drew the audience's attention to the current state of Russian-North Korean economic relations. Today, he noted, Russia is not even among the five main trade and economic partners of the DPRK, and the volume of trade turnover between the two countries does not exceed $ 100 million. In addition, the speaker noted that the problem of the DPRK's debt to the Russian Federation, which is one of the stumbling blocks in the Russian-North Korean dialogue, is primarily political, not economic: Russia has written off large amounts of debt to some countries, and in a dispute about the size and nature of the DPRK's debt, the two sides cannot even come to a temporary a compromise.

The two main presentations were followed by an exchange of views among the participants of the round table. The discussion was attended by: A.V. Vorontsov (Head of the Department). Department of Mongolia and Korea Institute of Oriental studies RAS), A. V. Efimov (1st Department of Asian Affairs of the Russian Federation), A. Z. Jebin (Director of the Center for Korean studies, Institute of far Eastern studies of RAS), A. V. Kim (Director of the world organization of the Korean businessmen), D. N. Pak (world organization of Korean businessmen), G. S. Logvinov (the Ambassador-at-large of the Russian foreign Ministry, Deputy heads of the Russian delegation to the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue), A. A. Proshin (Head of the Department of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation), R. V. Savelyev (IDV Center for Korean Studies), M. Steklov (MGIMO(U) MINISTRY OF Foreign Affairs OF THE Russian Federation).

During the discussion, various points of view were expressed on the current state of Russian-North Korean relations, but most participants agreed that Russia should make efforts to revive trade and economic ties with the DPRK. As you know, relations between the USSR and/The Russian Federation and the DPRK gradually declined in the late 80s of the last century and were sharply curtailed by Russia in the early 1990s. Russia's hasty termination in 1995 of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance that had existed between the USSR and the DPRK since 1961, and the establishment of diplomatic ties between Russia and the Republic of Korea (in 1990) have long cooled both political and economic relations between Russia and North Korea. In the second half of the 1990s, Russia began to revive relations with the DPRK, and if at the present stage the state of political relations between the two states can be called satisfactory, then economic ties still remain at a very low level. For example, if in 1990 the volume of trade between the USSR and the DPRK was $2.5 billion, then fell to $365 million in 1991. In 1995. The volume of trade between Russia and the DPRK was only $70 and continued to decline, reaching a low in 2000 of $38.5 million.¹

However, A. Z. Zhebin noted, taking into account the fact that the Soviet Union in the past "invested" a lot in the DPRK (equipment, intellectual capital, etc.), we just need to maintain trade and economic relations with the DPRK at the proper level. In addition to the standard reasons for the decline in economic ties between the Russian Federation and the DPRK (the collapse of the USSR and the collapse of the socialist camp, the pro-American orientation of Russian diplomacy in the early 1990s, the debt problem, a serious crisis in North Korea itself, etc.), another important reason was mentioned, but sometimes remaining in the shadows. As A. A. Proshin noted in his report, the decline in contacts between the Russian Federation and the DPRK was partly due to the fact that the Russian government and Russian business "reduced their attention to the Russian Far East, to some extent left there."

Almost all participants in the discussion came to the conclusion that Russia needs the DPRK as a trade and economic partner, and measures are needed to revive and intensify mutual relations.-

¹ According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation (http://www.ru/free_doc/2007/b 07_11/25 - 05.htm)

in this area. However, today the state of trade and economic relations is such that it is impossible to develop these relations without certain state aid and large-scale long-term state lending. This is exactly what the Chinese government is doing now, supporting various joint projects with the DPRK, and Russia should pay close attention to this example of far-sighted policy. In addition, it is necessary to intensify expert work to find ways to revive economic ties between Russia and North Korea, expand diplomatic ties and scientific and technical cooperation.

Participating in the round table discussion, Russian entrepreneurs doing business with North Korea said that most of their joint business with the DPRK concerns the development of minerals that North Korea is rich in, and in addition, several other joint projects are being launched: the construction of an ice cream factory in Pyongyang and the organization of a logistics control center in a number of North Korean ports. The share of Russian capital in these projects will be about 70%.

Economic projects are also being implemented between the Russian Federation and the DPRK at the government level - this is primarily the project of connecting the Trans-Korean railway with the Trans-Siberian Railway. Several projects for creating a free economic zone are also being developed (many countries are expected to participate and the projects will have different directions). Unfortunately, these projects exist mostly only on paper.

The discussion was concluded with a report by Alexander Vorontsov, who noted that, in his opinion, many colleagues have too pessimistic view of Russian-North Korean economic relations and that the North Koreans, on the contrary, are very positive and friendly about cooperation with Russia, and in those joint projects that he knows about, the North Korean side promptly and positively assesses the situation in North Korea. clearly fulfills its obligations. Economic relations between the two countries can develop according to a favorable scenario, the implementation of which depends only on the desire of the parties.

Summing up, it should be noted that the round table was undoubtedly useful for its participants, who had the opportunity to discuss topical issues. Such events should be held on a regular basis, because by paying much attention to the social and political problems of the DPRK and political relations with it, the Russian side often ignores the economic aspect of bilateral relations, which is completely inconsistent with the interests of the Russian Federation on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.

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