Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact

The non-aggression pact signed in Helsinki on 21 January 1932. On the left the Finnish foreign minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen, and on the right the Ambassador of the Soviet Union in Helsinki Ivan Maisky.[1]

The Soviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact was a non-aggression treaty signed in 1932 by representatives of Finland and the Soviet Union. The pact was unilaterally renounced by the Soviet Union in 1939, after it had committed the deception operation Shelling of Mainila, where it shelled its own village and claimed Finland to be responsible.

The Soviet Union had started non-aggression pact negotiations with its neighbouring countries in Europe during the Invasion of Manchuria, due to which the Soviet Union wanted to secure its borders. Although Finland was the last to sign the pact on January 21, 1932, after Estonia, Latvia and Poland, it was the first to ratify it in July 1932. Both parties guaranteed to respect the borders between the countries, and agreed to stay neutral. Disputes were promised to be solved peacefully and neutrally.

The pact was extended to December 31, 1945 in Moscow on April 7, 1934. It was signed by the Finnish foreign minister Aarno Yrjö-Koskinen and the Soviet foreign minister Maxim Litvinov.

The pact was renounced by the Soviet Union on 28 November 1939, two days before its invasion of Finland, claiming Finland had shelled a Soviet village. According to the Article Five,[2] parties should have called for a joint commission to examine the incident, which Finland tried to call but the Soviet Union refused.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Turtola, Martti (1999). "Kansainvälinen kehitys Euroopassa ja Suomessa 1930-luvulla". In Leskinen, Jari; Juutilainen, Antti. Talvisodan pikkujättiläinen (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö. pp. 13–46. ISBN 951-0-23536-9.
  2. ↑ Treaty of Non-Aggression and Pacific Settlement of Disputes between the Soviet Union and Finland, concluded on January 21, 1932 (translation)
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