- Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact
Soviet–Lithuanian Non-Aggression Pact (Lithuanian: "Lietuvos–TSRS nepuolimo sutartis") was a
non-aggression pact , signed between theSoviet Union andLithuania onSeptember 28 1926 . The pact confirmed all basic provisions of theSoviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty of 1920. The Soviet Union continued to recognizeVilnius andVilnius Region to Lithuania, despite the fact that the territories were under Polish control since theŻeligowski's Mutiny in 1920. It also recognized Lithuania's interests in theKlaipėda Region . In exchange Lithuania agreed not to join any alliances directed against the Soviet Union, which meant international isolation at the time when Soviet Union was not a member of theLeague of Nations .cite book | last=Eidintas | first=Alfonsas | coauthors=Vytautas Žalys, Alfred Erich Senn | editor=Ed. Edvardas Tuskenis | title=Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918-1940 | edition=Paperback | year=1999 | month=September | publisher=St. Martin's Press | location=New York | isbn=0-312-22458-3 | pages=53–54]The pact was initiated by Lithuanians who sought a new direction in the foreign policy after the
Locarno Treaties . The negotiations started onDecember 25 1925 whenPeople's Commissar of Foreign AffairsGeorgy Chicherin stopped inKaunas on his way to Moscow. The negotiations were difficult as Latvia and Estonia disapproved the pact because it prevented creation of theBaltic Entente , Poland claimed that the agreement violated thePeace of Riga , and Germany was wary over strengthening Lithuanian claims to the Klaipėda Region.cite book | last=Eidintas | first=Alfonsas | coauthors=Vytautas Žalys, Alfred Erich Senn | editor=Ed. Edvardas Tuskenis | title=Lithuania in European Politics: The Years of the First Republic, 1918-1940 | edition=Paperback | year=1999 | month=September | publisher=St. Martin's Press | location=New York | isbn=0-312-22458-3 | pages=108–110]The pact was controversial in Lithuania and its ratification by the
Third Seimas onNovember 5 1926 caused student protests against "Bolshevization" of Lithuania. As one of the protests was dispersed by force, it is cited as one of the reasons for the military coup in December 1926. However, the diplomats believed that keeping the dispute over Vilnius Region relevant in the European politics was worth the cost. The original pact was set to expire in five years, thus onMay 6 1931 and onApril 4 1934 [lt icon cite book | last=Skirius | first=Juozas | title=Gimtoji istorija. Nuo 7 iki 12 klasės | url=http://mkp.emokykla.lt/gimtoji/ | accessdate=2008-04-05 | year=2002 | publisher=Elektroninės leidybos namai | location=Vilnius | isbn=9986-9216-9-4 | chapter=Lietuvos užsienio politika 1919–1938 metais | chapterurl=http://mkp.emokykla.lt/gimtoji/?id=10218] it was extended toDecember 31 1944 . [lt icon cite book |editor=Arvydas Anušauskas, et al. |title=Lietuva, 1940–1990 |year=2005 |publisher=Lietuvos gyventojų genocido ir rezistencijos tyrimo centras |location=Vilnius |isbn=9986-757-65-7 |pages=58–59] A separate convention was signed to define "aggression" onJuly 5 1933 . The pact was broken when onJune 15 1940 Soviet Union occupied Lithuania. [cite book| title=Baltic Yearbook of International Law, 2001 |first=Ineta
last=Ziemele | pages=7–8 | url= http://books.google.com/books?id=iGLp7QEelbIC&pg=RA1-PA5-IA2&sig=OgPGcWbI7s7AFP32BkyNpOHp0PY#PRA1-PA5-IA2,M1
year=2002 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |isbn=9041117369]References
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