The Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty (, ) was a

bilateral treaty A bilateral treaty (also called a bipartite treaty) is a treaty strictly between two subjects of public international law, generally either sovereign states or international organisations established by treaty. It is an agreement made by negotiat ...

between the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, signed in Moscow on October 5, 1939. The treaty obliged both parties to respect each other's sovereignty and independence, while in practice allowed the Soviet government to establish

military bases A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

, which facilitated the Soviet invasion of the country in June 1940. It was signed by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs

Vilhelms Munters Gothards Vilhelms Nikolajs Munters (, 25 July 1898 in Riga – 11 January 1967, Riga) was a Latvian diplomat who served as List of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia from 1936 to 1940. He ...

and Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs

Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Molotov (; – 8 November 1986) was a Soviet politician, diplomat, and revolutionary who was a leading figure in the government of the Soviet Union from the 1920s to the 1950s, as one of Joseph Stalin's closest allies. ...

. Ratifications were exchanged in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

on October 11, 1939, and the treaty became effective on the same day. It was registered in

League of Nations Treaty Series A treaty series is an officially published collection of treaties and other international agreements. Americas Canada Treaties in force for Canada are published in the Canada Treaty Series. United States Treaties and international agreeme ...

on November 6, 1939.

Background

On 23 August 1939 the

asserted its control over the Baltic states with the

Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, officially the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and also known as the Hitler–Stalin Pact and the Nazi–Soviet Pact, was a non-aggression pact between Nazi Ge ...

. The Soviets invaded Poland on 17 September, concluding operations on 6 October. After occupying eastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the Soviets pressured

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and the Baltic states to conclude mutual assistance treaties. The Soviets questioned the neutrality of

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

following the escape of a Polish submarine on 18 September. A week later, on 24 September, the Estonian foreign minister Karl Selter was given an ultimatum in Moscow. Hiden & Salmon (1994). p. 110. After four days of negotiations, the Estonians had no choice but to accept naval, air and army bases. Soviet troop numbers in Estonia were put at 25,000. The mutual assistance treaty was signed on 28 September. As a result, soon two other Baltic states yielded to Soviet pressure.

Articles of the treaty

* Article 1 provided for military cooperation between the parties in case of an attack by a third party. * Article 2 obliged the Soviet government to assist the Latvian government in providing armaments. * Article 3 permitted the Soviet government to establish military and naval bases on Latvian territory. * Article 4 obliged the Soviet and Latvian governments not to engage in military alliances against the other party. * Article 5 stipulated that the political and economic systems and the sovereignty of both parties shall not be affected by the treaty. It clearly stipulated that the areas where Soviet bases were to be established shall remain part of Latvia. * Article 6 dealt with ratification, and stipulated that the treaty shall remain in force for ten years, with an option to extend it for further ten years.

Aftermath

Finland was invited to enter similar negotiations on 5 October. Unlike the Baltics, the Finnish-Soviet negotiations lasted weeks without result. The Soviets invaded Finland on 30 November. Hiden & Salmon (1994). p. 111. On the morning of 15 June 1940

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...

troops carried out an attack on

n border posts killing 5 people and taking 37 as hostages. The next day USSR accused Latvia of violating the mutual assistance treaty and demanded the formation of a new government and allowed entry of an unlimited number of Soviet troops into the country. Latvia was given 6 hours to respond to the ultimatum and, given the circumstances, it conceded to the Soviet demands.

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

Text of the treaty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soviet-Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty Latvia in World War II Occupation of the Baltic states Treaties of Latvia Treaties of the Soviet Union World War II treaties Treaties concluded in 1939 Treaties entered into force in 1939 1939 in Latvia 1939 in the Soviet Union Latvia–Soviet Union relations Military alliances involving the Soviet Union Moscow in World War II