History / August 11, 1920 – Latvia signs a peace agreement with Soviet Russia

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August 11, 1920 – Latvia signs a peace agreement with Soviet Russia

12.11.2008

The initial position of the Baltic States was that discussion with Russia would take place collectively. On the other hand, Russia wished to achieve that discussions with each of the Baltic States would take place separately. The first debates within the National Council on possible peace talks with Russia took place on October 6, 1919. Three possible approaches to peace talks with Russia came out from the debates. The first approach was represented by the Interim Government, and was put forward by Latvian Foreign Minister Zigfrids Anna Meierovics - armistice talks must be carried out collectively together with Estonia and Lithuania, but after the armistice is agreed upon, further peace talks must only be made with a Russia that is not ruled by a Bolshevist government.

The second approach was put forward by the opposition Social-Democrats - the immediate start of armistice talks, with one of the conditions being the de jure recognition of independence from Russia, the withdrawal of troops from Latgale Province (eastern Latvia) and the liquidation of the Peteris Stucka government; peace talks would begin immediately after an armistice is agreed upon. The third approach would be to not even begin discussion with Bolshevik Russia.

The Latvian peace talk delegation, made up of Justice Minister K.Pauluks, Deputy Foreign Minister Aurelijs Zebergs, Colonel Eduards Kalnins, Janis Vesmanis and Peteris Bergis, left Riga on April 10. The delegation was made up of 34 persons. Peace talks officially began on April 16 in Moscow. The talks took place within in six committees - military, political, judicial, concession, finance and re-evacuation. In the beginning of the talks, the Latvian side tried for Russia to agree that compensation was necessary for its 1918 invasion of Latvia. After this, when it became clear that the Russian side will not budge on this issue, the Latvian delegation transferred its efforts to discussing border issues, which was agreed upon by May 19.

When a compromise on borders between the two countries was achieved, A.Zebergs returned to Riga on May 22, to give a personal progress report to Z.Meierovics. However, the discussions with Moscow had taken much out of him. In June, Zebergs resigned as the head of the delegation and as deputy foreign minister. He was replaced by J.Vesmanis.

By June, four points of the peace agreement between Latvia and Russia were agreed upon - the recognition of Latvia's independence from the Russian side, borders between the two countries, and the so-called security guarantees - the mutual commitment to not allow the operation of hostile organizations in the respective country. On June 17, Russia formulated its point of view on economic issues during the delegation debates, which it did not back down from until the end of the discussions - Russia refused to hand back equipment and other material values it looted from Latvia, it refused to recognize Latvia's right to a proportion of its gold reserves, as well as refused to compensate Latvia damage caused during the war.

On August 11, 1920, at 12:40 p.m., Latvia signed a peace treaty with Russia, which pointed out in Article II:
Pursuant to the declaration by the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic that all nations shall have the right to free independence not excluding even a complete secession from the State to which they presently belong, and observing the will for an independently existing State as firmly expressed by the Latvian nation, Russia recognizes without objection the independence and sovereignty of the Latvian State and forever renounces all sovereign rights held by Russia in relation to the Latvian nation and land on the basis of the previous State legal regime as well as any international agreements, all of which lose their force and effect for all future time as herein provided. The Latvian nation and land shall have no obligations arising from their previous possession by Russia.

Picture:

The signing of the peace agreement between Latvia and Russia - 1920; reproduction from the book "Latvijas Republika desmit pastāvēšanas gados", Rīga, 1928, page 80.

 

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