1991 treaty still challenges Russia’s official narrative on Lithuania

A 1991 treaty between Lithuania and Russia continues to contradict the Kremlin’s denial of Soviet aggression against the Baltic state, LRT reports. The agreement recognised Lithuania’s restored independence, its state continuity from the interwar period and the need to address the consequences of the 1940 annexation.

Lithuania and Russia signed the Treaty on the Foundations of Interstate Relations on July 29, 1991. The Soviet Union had not yet collapsed, but Lithuania had already declared its independence and Russia had adopted a declaration on state sovereignty.

The treaty’s first article, which has unlimited validity, states that Lithuania and Russia recognise each other as full subjects of international law and as sovereign states. They also recognise each other’s inalienable right to state independence.

The two countries pledged not to use force or threaten to use force in their relations, not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs, and to respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of their borders. Russia also recognised the annexation of Lithuania carried out in 1940, and the countries agreed that the consequences of the annexation had to be removed.

According to European Parliament member Dainius Žalimas, who has examined the treaty in detail, its importance remains despite the current challenges facing international law.

“All of this essentially contradicts the claims of Russia’s current official propaganda and undermines the foundations of the ideology of Rashism itself,” Žalimas said. He argued that the ideology used to justify Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and deny the statehood of the Baltic countries rejects Lithuania’s occupation, the continuity of the Lithuanian state and other provisions recognised in the treaty.

Žalimas said the agreement provides Lithuania with a firm line of international legal defence and shows that Russia has, during brief periods in its history, been different.

Česlovas Vytautas Stankevičius, a former deputy chairman of Lithuania’s Supreme Council and head of the negotiating delegation with Russia, said he had recently discussed the treaty’s current significance with Independence Act signatory Valdemaras Katkus.

Stankevičius noted that Russia, despite threatening the Baltic states and other countries, had not denounced the treaty. He also said that many Lithuania Russia agreements are based on the 1991 document, just as the July 12, 1920 treaty served as the basis for Lithuania’s agreements with the Soviet Union.

The treaty allows Lithuania to continue demanding compensation from Russia for the damage caused by the occupation, although few believe such compensation will be implemented in practice. Its provisions remain at odds with the doctrine of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which denies crimes committed against the Baltic states.