Prior to World War II the USSR's foreign trade, conducted under conditions of capitalist encirclement, was the only form of economic relations with foreign countries. The opportunities for its development were limited, since the monopolies and governments of the leading capitalist countries...

The world socialist system is a social, economic and political community of free and sovereign peoples moving toward socialism and communism, linked together by close bonds of international socialist solidarity and united by common goals and interests.

New forms of Soviet foreign economic ties have appeared, and are developing and improving, in the postwar period. The Soviet Union's economic and technical cooperation with fraternal socialist countries and the developing countries of Asia and Africa are acquiring increasing importance. The...