A defense treaty that the leaders of North Korea and Russia signed in June came into force on Wednesday with the exchange of treaty ratification instruments.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said Thursday that the two nations exchanged the ratification instruments on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in Moscow the previous day, with senior foreign ministry officials from both nations signing the necessary protocol. 

The KCNA said the treaty serves as a legal framework that will help put bilateral ties on a new strategic level and firmly defend the regional and global security environment, in line with the common interests of the two nations.

The accord, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in June after their summit in Pyongyang, includes a mutual defense clause under which the two countries will provide military support to each other if either one comes under attack.