Soviet-Belgian Agreements

Diplomatic relations were established between the USSR and Belgium on July 12, 1935; they were broken off on July 15,1940, in connection with the fascist German occupation of Belgium and restored with the Belgian government-in-exile on Aug. 7, 1941. A provisional trade convention between the USSR and the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union (BLEU) was signed on Sept. 5,1935. Agreements were concluded on parcel post (Apr. 16, 1938) and on repatriation of citizens (Mar. 13, 1945), as well as agreements on trade between the USSR and the BLEU (Feb. 18,1948), on payments (Feb. 18, 1948), on cultural cooperation (Oct. 25, 1956), on air transportation (June 5, 1958), and on economic, scientific, and technical cooperation between the USSR and the BLEU (July 26,1969). The last agreement provided for the establishment of a joint commission.

Within the framework of Benelux—the customs and economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg—a trade treaty and an agreement on trade and payments were signed on July 14,1971. Among other agreements were a consular convention (July 12, 1972), a maritime agreement between the USSR and the BLEU (Nov. 17, 1972), an agreement on international motor-vehicle traffic (Nov. 29, 1973), an agreement on expanding economic, industrial, scientific, and technical cooperation between the USSR and the BLEU (Nov. 19,1974), and agreements on cooperation in environmental protection (June 25, 1975) and tourism (June 25,1975).