Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Finnish)

Treaty of Tartu (Russian–Finnish). The Treaty of Tartu, signed on 14 October 1920 in the city of Tartu, Estonia, formally concluded the state of war between the Republic of Finland and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. This agreement, following the Finnish Civil War and the kinship wars, established the first official peace and recognized borders between the two nations. It solidified Finland's independence from the former Russian Empire and had profound implications for the geopolitical landscape of the Baltic region and Northern Europe.

Background and negotiations

The path to the treaty began with the October Revolution and Finland's subsequent declaration of independence in December 1917, recognized by the Bolshevik government led by Vladimir Lenin. However, the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and subsequent Finnish military expeditions, such as the Aunus expedition and the Petsamo expeditions, into East Karelia created ongoing conflict. Negotiations were complex, influenced by the ongoing Russian Civil War and the interests of other powers like the United Kingdom. The Finnish delegation was led by Juho Kusti Paasikivi, while the Soviet side included figures like Jan Berzin and Maxim Litvinov. The talks, held in Tartu, were tense, with disputes over the regions of Repola and Porajärvi, and the status of Petsamo.

Terms of the treaty

The treaty's core terms extended beyond mere cessation of hostilities. Article 10 mandated that both parties refrain from hostile actions and not support groups like the Finnish Communist Party or anti-Soviet White Russian forces. Economic clauses addressed property rights, with Finland agreeing to return Russian state property evacuated during World War I. The treaty also included provisions for building a railway from Kemijärvi to the Barents Sea and granted Soviet vessels right of way through Finnish waters to the Norwegian Sea. Furthermore, it secured specific fishing rights for Soviet citizens in the Pechenga Bay.

Territorial provisions

The territorial settlement was the treaty's most concrete outcome. Finland secured the Petsamo region, gaining a vital ice-free port on the Arctic Ocean. The border largely followed the old boundary of the Grand Duchy of Finland with some adjustments; Finland ceded the municipalities of Repola and Porajärvi, which it had occupied. The new frontier ran from the Gulf of Finland near Rajajoki northward through Lake Ladoga, then northwest to the Murmansk region. This border was demarcated by a joint commission and remained in force until the Winter War.

Aftermath and significance

The treaty's ratification in late 1920 ushered in a period of uneasy peace. For Finland, it represented full international recognition of its sovereignty and the end of its formal military engagements. For the Russian SFSR, it secured a peaceful northwestern border during a critical phase of the Russian Civil War. The agreement failed to resolve the broader Karelian question, leaving nationalist aspirations in East Karelia unfulfilled. The demilitarization of several islands in the Gulf of Finland, as stipulated, later became a point of contention. The treaty established a framework for relations that persisted until the outbreak of World War II.

Legacy and commemoration

The Treaty of Tartu remains a foundational document in Finnish statehood and a benchmark for the nation's eastern border. Its annulment by the Moscow Peace Treaty of 1940 following the Winter War and subsequent adjustments after the Continuation War made it a symbol of lost territory. The original documents are preserved in the National Archives of Finland and the Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation. The treaty is periodically referenced in political discourse, and its signing is commemorated in Finland. The main venue of the negotiations, the University of Tartu building, features a memorial plaque marking the historic event.

Category:Treaties of Finland Category:Treaties of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Category:Peace treaties of the interwar period Category:1920 in Finland Category:1920 in Russia Category:Tartu