Supplement A: Treaties and Agreements
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Supplement A: Treaties and Agreements TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP, CO-OPERATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS The President of the Republic of Finland and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR; Desiring further to develop friendly relations between the Repulic of Finland and the USSR; being convinced that the strengthening of good neighbourhood relations and cooperation between the Republic of Finland and the USSR lies in the interest of both countries; considering Finland's desire to remain outside the conflicting interests of the Great Powers; and Expressing their firm endeavour to collaborate towards the maintenance of international peace and security in accordance with the aims and principles of the United Nations Organization; have for this purpose agreed to conclude the present Treaty and have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries: the President of the Republic of Finland: Mauna Pekkala, Prime Minister of the Republic of Finland; The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR: Vyacheslav Mihailovich Molotov, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who, after exchange of their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed on the following provisions: Article 1 In the eventuality of Finland, or the Soviet Union through Finnish territory, becoming the object of an armed attack by Germany or any State allied with the latter, Finland will, true to its obligations as an independent State, fight to repel the attack. Finland will in such cases use all its available forces for defending its territorial integrity by land, sea and air, and will do so within the frontiers of Finland in accordance with obligations defined in the present Treaty and, if necessary, with the assistance of, or jointly with, the Soviet Union. 247 248 Supplement A In the cases aforementioned the Soviet Union will give Finland the help required, the giving of which will be subject to mutual agreement between the Contracting Parties. Article 2 The, High Contracting Parties shall confer with each other if it is estab lished that the threat of an armed attack as described in Article 1 is present. Article 3 The High Contracting Parties give assurance of their intention loyally to participate in all measures towards the maintenance of international peace and security in conformity with the aims and principles of the United Nations Organization: Article 4 The High Contracting Parties confirm their pledge, given under Article 3 of the Peace Treaty signed in Paris on 10 February 1947, not to conclude any alliance or join any coalition directed against the other High Contract ing Party. Article 5 The High Contracting Parties give assurance of the decision to act in a spirit of cooperation and frienship towards the further development and consolidation of economic and cultural relations between Finland and the Soviet Union. Article 6 The High Contracting Parties pledge themselves to observe the principle of the mutual respect of sovereignty and integrity and that of non interference in the internal affairs of the other State. Article 7 The execution of the present Treaty shall take place in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Organization. Supplement A 249 Article 8 The present Treaty shall be ratified and remains in force ten years after the date of its coming into force. The Treaty shall come into force upon the exchange of the instruments of ratification, the exchange taking place in the shortest time possible in Helsinki. Provided neither of the High Contraction Parties has denounced it one year before the expiration of the said ten-year period, the Treaty shall remain in force for subsequent five-year periods until either High Contract ing Party one year before the expiration of such five-year periods in writing notifies its intention of terminating the validity of the Treaty. In witness hereof the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Treaty and affixed their seals. Done in the City of Moscow on the sixth day of April1948 in two copies, in the Finnish and the Russian languages, both texts being authentic. The Plenipotentiary of the President of the Republic of Finland: Mauna Pekkala. The Plenipotentiary of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR: V. Molotov. 250 Supplement A TREATY OF COMMERCE BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND AND THE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS The President of the Republic of Finland and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, desirous continuously to develop and strengthen the economic relations between the two countries, have agreed to conclude this Treaty and have for this purpose appointed as their Plenipotentiaries: The President of the Republic of Finland: Reinhold Svento, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Uuno Takki, Minister for Trade and Industry; The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR: Anastas Mikoyan, Minister for Foreign Trade of the USSR, who after an exchange of their full powers, found true and in due form, have agreed on the following provision: Article 1 The Contracting Parties shall by all means possible develop and strengthen their mutual trade relations on a basis on equality and reciprocity. In accordance with this and taking into consideration the geographical nearness of the two countries, which helps to promote trade advantageous to both Parties, the governments of the two countries shall from time to time undertake negotiations with the aim of concluding agreements stipulating the quantity and quality of mutual trade deliveries. In this connection both governments shall aim at a continuous extension of trade within the possibilities available. Article 2 The Contracting Parties shall reciprocally grant to each other an absolute and unlimited most favoured nation treatment in all matters concerning mutual trade and maritime commerce as well as industry and other forms of economic activity within their territories. Article3 The Contracting Parties shall grant to each other a most favoured nation treatment especially in all matters concerning customs duties as well as all payments and taxes, interpretation of import tariffs, ways of collecting customs duties, classification of goods, refunding of customs duties, re-export, reloading and warehousing of goods, instructions, formalities and fees applied when declaring goods. Natural and industrial products originating in, or exported from, the territory of either Contracting Party, when imported into the territory of Supplement A 251 the other Contracting Party, shall in no casebe subjected to other or higher customs duties, taxes or fees or other or harder regulations or formalities than those at present or in the future applied to like natural or industrial products of any third country. Likewise, natural or industrial products exported from the territory of either Contracting Party into the territory of the other Contracting Party shall in no case be subjected to other or higher customs duties, taxes or fees or other or harder regulations or formalities than those at present of in the future applied to like natural or industrial products exported to any third country. All advantages, allowances, priorities or exemptions which one Con tracting Party has granted or shall grant to natural or industrial products originating in, or destined for export into any third country, shall, at the earliest convenience and free of charge be correspondingly applied to like products originating in or imported from or exported into the territory of the other Contracting Party. Article 4 Each Contracting Party shall, in determining, for the goods of the other Contracting Party, any internal fees for their production, processing, handling or use in their territories, no matter on whose account or in whose name these may be collected, apply the same regulations as those applied on corresponding goods of its own country. Article 5 Both Contracting Parties agree in no way to limit or forbid imports from or exports into the territory of the other Contracting Party, unless these restrictions or prohibitions are applied to all other countries, excluding restrictions and prohibitions applied alike to all countries in the same position and concerning public order and the safety of the State, sanitation, resistance of plant and animal diseases and protection of seeds from degeneration. Article 6 In accordance with regulations on temporary imports into the territories of both Contracting Parties the following goods are exempt from customs duties and other fees when imported and exported: (a) samples as well as goods for exhibitions, competitions and fairs; (b) marked tare imported for filling as well as tare used for imports and to be returned after a time specified; 252 Supplement A (c) industrial goods imported for improvements, testing and repairs, and which, after the improvement, testing or repairs, are re-exported; (d) tools and equipment brought or taken along by, or sent to, mechani cians. Article 7 Trading vessels of both Contracting Parties together with their crews, passengers and cargoes, shall, at their arrival in, or departure from, the ports of the other Contracting Party as well as in its ports and territorial waters, be subjected to treatment no less favourable than the treatment applied or possibly to be applied to vessels under the flag of any other country, together with their crews, passengers and cargoes. The nationality of the vessels shall, in conformity with the laws and regulations of the two countries, on both sides be acknowledged in accordance with the documents and ship's papers on board issued by the proper authorities of that Party. The Contracting Parties shall accept the measurement books and other technical documents of the ship issued or accepted by the other Contract ing Party. In accordance with this, vessels with legally issued measurement books shall, in the ports of the other Contracting Party, be exempted from remeasurements and the net tonnage given in the certificate shall be used as the basis for determining port charges.