Paavonen T. August 1991 as a turning-point in the finnish-russian relations // Studia Humanitatis Borealis. 2014. Vol. 1. № 2. P. 15‒24.
Issue № 2
| Paavonen Tapani | Doctor of Social Science, Senior Researcher, Political History, University of Turku, Turku, tapaavo@utu.fi |
| Ключевые слова: Finnish-Soviet relations; Finnish-Russian relations; Finnish foreign policy; Treaty of Friendship Cooperation and Mutual Assistance; Russian revolution of 1991; Finland’s relationship to European integration | Аннотация: The attempted coup in Moscow, August 19—21, 1991, can be seen as a turning-point in the Finnish-Soviet and Finnish-Russian relations. As a result of these events, the old Cold-War Europe was definitively left behind and the so-called New Europe entered instead to determine the mutual relations. Actually, the question is about gradual even though relatively rapid developments ranging from the perestroika in the latter half of the 1980s to about early 1992. Yet the critical days, August 19—21, 1991, were of crucial significance in this process.
The change comprised all aspects of inter-state relations: The Finnish neutrality and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (FCA Pact) as foundations of the political relations were replaced by military non-alliance and independent defence as the Finnish security-policy doctrine and a new Treaty of the Foundations of Relations between Finland and the Russian Federation, respectively. The “political line” in the conduct of political relations was abolished. For economic relations, the bilateral trade regime was replaced by a multilateral one and the Finnish-Soviet Trade Treaty of 1947 and some other commercial agreements were replaced by a new trade agreement with the Russian Federation. Cultural exchange under the Finnish-Soviet Scientific-Technical Cooperation Committee was replaced by new type of neighbouring-area cooperation.
This paper is preliminary, based on public material. The Finnish foreign policy archives on the matter, once opened to scholars in a couple of years, will specify and, maybe, will revise the picture © Petrozavodsk State University |
Is passed for the press: 31 december 2014 year | |
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