Latvia--A Work in Progress?: 100 Years of State- and Nation-Building by Matthew Kott & David J. Smith

Author:Matthew Kott & David J. Smith [Kott, Matthew & Smith, David J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, Essays, Political Ideologies, Democracy
ISBN: 9783838267180
Google: 5DYrDgAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 34418266
Publisher: Ibidem Press
Published: 2016-03-22T10:35:40+00:00

3. Recognition of the Independence of the Baltic States—Consequences of the Coup in Moscow

The decision to restore relations between France and the Baltic States after the failed putsch in Moscow was influenced by three factors: (1) severe criticism from the French press and parliamentary opposition regarding the way Mitterrand responded to the coup d’état in Moscow, (2) cooperation and competition between France and its European partners including Germany, and finally (3) the redistribution of power in the USSR.

In August 1991 François Mitterrand faced harsh criticism after quoting on national television the letter sent by the organisers of the putsch and calling them “the new leaders of the Soviet Union”. In his memoirs, Hubert Védrine, diplomatic adviser to François Mitterrand, claimed that by quoting the letter, the President only wanted to “lock the putschists into their own promises.”[53] Meanwhile, in 1991, the attitude of the French President was perceived as antiGorbachev by Russian democratic forces[54] and criticised in France as overly cautious and inappropriate by the press and the opposition led by former President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.[55] Furthermore, during the hours that corresponded to the day of 19 August in the USA and the night of 19–20 August in Europe, the USA toughened its stand on the issue. Thus, the Elysée Palace had to quickly change the course of its policy. Within the context of this “correction du tir”,[56] the Baltic issue reappeared on the international scene: on 20 and 21 August respectively, the Estonian and Latvian Parliaments voted for the end of the transition period and declared the renewal of their independence.

The second factor that influenced the French decision to recognise Baltic independence was the international context and the position of French partners. On 22 August, Iceland became the first country to recognise the independence of the three Baltic States and expressed its willingness to restore diplomatic relations. In the coming days, it was followed by all other Scandinavian countries including Denmark, a member of the European Economic Community. A day later, Belgium announced its intention to renew diplomatic relations with the Baltic States and requested a common EEC Declaration. Most importantly of all, news from Bonn showed that Germany was leaning towards the recognition of the Baltic States. In this situation, France did not want to again be seen as being slower than its partners and late in its responses to the developments in the East.[57]

Finally, the third factor that influenced the French decision was the attitude of Boris Yeltsin. Following the failure of the putsch, the distribution of power in the Soviet Union changed dramatically—Gorbachev’s authority radically diminished, and Yeltsin emerged as the de facto new leader of the USSR. Previous relations between France and the Russian president were not the warmest, for the same reasons that had pushed France to be cautious when dealing with the Baltic independence question: Yeltsin’s activities destabilised the power of Mikhail Gorbachev.[58] However, after the putsch, when Yeltsin’s political power and influence in the USSR rose considerably, France tried to show its alignment with Yeltsin as well as with Russian democratic forces in general.

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