Modern History Sourcebook:
The Warsaw Pact, 1955
TREATY OF FRIENDSHIP, CO-OPERATION AND MUTUAL ASSISTANCE'Between the People's Republic of Albania, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the
Hungarian People's Republic, the German Democratic Republic, the Polish People's
Republic, the Rumanian People's Republic, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and the
Czechoslovak Republic, May 1, 1955
The contracting parties,Reaffirming their desire for the organisation of a system of collective security in
Europe, with the participation of all the European states, irrespective of their social
and state systems, which would make it possible to combine their efforts in the interests
of securing peace in Europe,Taking into consideration at the same tirne the situation obtaining in Europe as the
result of ratification of the Paris agreements, which provide for the formation of a new
military grouping in the shape of the "Western European Union" together with a
remilitarised Western Germany, and for the integration of Western Germany in the North
Atlantic bloc, which increases the threat of another war and creates a menace to the
national security of the peaceloving states,Convinced that, under these circumstances, the peaccloving states of Europe should take
the necessary measures for safeguarding their security, and in the interests of
maintaining peace in Europe,Guided by the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter,In the interests of further strengthening and promoting friendship, co-opcration and
mutual assistance, in accordance with the principles of respect for the independence and
sovereignty of states, and also with the principle of noninterference in their internal
affairs,Have resolved to conclude this Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual
Assistance, . . .Article 1. The contracting parties undertake, in accordance with the Charter
of the United Nations Organisation, to refrain in their international relations from the
threat or use of force, and to settle their international disputes by peaceful means so as
not to endanger international peace and security.Article 2. The contracting parties declare their readiness to take part, in
the spirit of sincere co-operation, in all international undertakings intended to
safeguard international peace and security and they shall use all their energies for the
realisation of these aims.Moreover, the contracting parties shall work for the adoption, in agreement with other
states desiring to co-operate in this matter, of effective measures towards a general
reduction of armaments and prohibition of atomic, hydrogen and other weapons of mass
destruction.Article 3. The contracting parties shall take council among themselves on all
important international questions relating to their common interests, guided by the
interests of strengthening international peace and security.They shall take council among themselves immediately, whenever, in the opinion of any
of them, there has arisen the threat of an armed attack on one or several states that are
signatories of the treaty, in the interests of organising their joint defence and of
upholding peace and security.Article 4. In the event of an armed attack in Europe on one or several states
that are signatories of the treaty by any state or group of states, each state that is a
party to this treaty shall, in the exercise of the right to individual or collective
self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations
Organisation, render the state or states so attacked immediate assistance, individually
and in agreement with other states that are parties to this treaty, by all the means it
may consider necessary, including the use of armed force. The states that are parties to
this treaty shall immediately take council among themselves concerning the necessary joint
measures to be adopted for the purpose of restoring and upholding international peace and
security.In accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations Organisation,
the Security Council shall be advised of the measures taken on the basis of the present
article. These measures shall be stopped as soon as the Security Council has taken the
necessary measures for restoring and upholding international peace and security-.Article 5. The contracting parties have agreed on the establishment of a joint
command for their armed forces, which shall be placed, by agreement among these parties,
under this command, which shall function on the basis of jointly defined principles. They
shall also take other concerted measures necessary for strengthening their defence
capacity, in order to safeguard the peaceful labour of their peoples, to guarantee the
inviolability of their frontiers and territories and to provide safeguards against
possible aggression.Article 6. For the purpose of holding the consultations provided for in the
present treaty among the states that are parties to the treaty, and for the purpose of
considering problems arising in connection with the implementation of this treaty, a
political consultative committee shall be formed in which each state that is a party to
this treaty shall be represented by a member of the government, or any other specially
appointed representative.The committee may, form the auxiliary organs for which the need may arise.Article 7. The contracting parties undertake not to participate in any
coalitions and alliances, and not to conclude any agreements the purposes of which would
be at variance with those of the present treaty.The contracting parties declare that their obligations under existing international
treaties are not at variance with the provisions of this treaty.Article 8. The contracting parties declare that they will act in the spirit of
friendship and co-operation with the object of furthering the development of, and
strengthening the economic and cultural relations between them, adliering to the
principles of mutual respect for their independence and sovereignty, and of
non-interference in their internal affairs.Article 9. The present treaty is open to be acceded to by other
states-irrespective of their social and state systems-which may express their readiness to
assist, through participation in the present treaty, in combining the efforts of the
peaccloving states for the purpose of safeguarding the peace and security, of nations.
This act of acceding to the treaty shall become effective, with the consent of the states
that are parties to this treaty, after the instrument of accedence has been deposited with
the government of the Polish People's Republic.Article 10. The present treaty is subject to ratification, and the
instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the government of the Polish People's
Republic.The treaty shall take effect on the date on which the last ratification instrument is
deposited. The government of the Polish People's Republic shall advise the other states
that are parties to the treaty of each ratification instrument deposited with it.Article 11. The present treaty shall remain in force for 20 years. For the
contracting parties which will not have submitted to the government of the Polish People's
Republic a statement denouncing the treaty a year before the expiration of its term, it
shall remain in force throughout the following ten years.In the event of the organisation of a system of collective security in Europe and the
conclusion of a general European treaty of collective security to that end, which the
contracting parties shall unceasingly seek to bring about, the present treaty shall cease
to be effective on the date the general European treaty comes into force.
Done in Warsaw, on May 1, 1955, in one copy each in the Russian, Polish, Czech, and
German languages, all the texts being equally authentic. Certified copies of the present
treaty shall be transmitted by the government of the Polish People's Republic to all the
parties to this treaty.
Source:from Soviet News, No. 3165 (May 16, 1955), pp. 1-2.
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© Paul Halsall, November 1998
halsall@fordham.edu
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