Soviet-Latvian_Mutual_Assistance_Treaty
Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty
1939 treaty allowing Soviet troops and military bases within Latvia
The Soviet–Latvian Mutual Assistance Treaty (Russian: Пакт о взаимопомощи между СССР и Латвийской Республикой, Latvian: Savstarpējās palīdzības pakts starp Latviju un PSRS) was a bilateral treaty between the Soviet Union and Latvia, 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 in Latvia, which facilitated the Soviet invasion of the country in June 1940.
It was signed by Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vilhelms Munters and Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov. Ratifications were exchanged in Riga on October 11, 1939, and the treaty became effective on the same day. It was registered in League of Nations Treaty Series on November 6, 1939.[1]