UPSC Prelims 2000 Q34: Current Affairs – International Relations & Treaties
- (a) A
- (b) B
- (c) C
- (d) D
Answer: (c) C
Explanation
Where NATO and Warsaw Pact countries signed their treaty
| Agreement | Place and date |
|---|---|
| Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) | Paris, 19 November 1990 — signed by the 22 NATO and Warsaw Pact states |
| Charter of Paris for a New Europe | Paris, 21 November 1990 (CSCE summit) |
| NATO-Russia Founding Act | Paris, 27 May 1997 |
The map for this question is not available, and no published copy we could find shows it or confirms the answer. The answer below is the key held in our question bank and is not independently verified.
The only treaty signed jointly by all the NATO and Warsaw Pact countries is the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, signed in Paris on 19 November 1990; the stem's year 1998 appears to be a slip in the paper. The follow-up NATO-Russia Founding Act was also signed in Paris, in May 1997.
So the city on the map should be Paris; the bank key (c) is taken to mark it, but without the map that label cannot be checked.
Answer: (c) C (key held in our bank; not independently verified).
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Per the bank key; the right label is the one marking Paris, which cannot be confirmed without the map.
- (b) Incorrect. Per the bank key; it does not mark Paris on the bank's reading.
- (c) CORRECT. Bank key, not independently verified: C is taken to mark Paris.
- (d) Incorrect. Per the bank key; it does not mark Paris on the bank's reading.
Key point
CFE Treaty: Paris, 19 November 1990, NATO + Warsaw Pact; NATO-Russia Founding Act: Paris, 1997.
Remember
CFE Treaty, Paris 1990; NATO-Russia Founding Act, Paris 1997.
Common mistakes
- Choosing Brussels (NATO headquarters) or Warsaw by name association.
- Confusing the CFE Treaty with the INF Treaty (Washington, 1987), which was US-Soviet only.
- Trusting the year in the stem: the joint treaty was 1990, not 1998.
Exam tip
NATO-Warsaw Pact treaty = CFE = Paris; locate Paris on the map.
Sources
- OSCE — Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Paris, 19 November 1990 (osce.org)
- NATO — Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation, Paris, 27 May 1997 (nato.int)