Treaty of Riga, Articles 6 and 7
리가 조약 제6조와 제7조
Articles 6 and 7 of the 1921 Treaty of Riga addressed the legal status and national rights of people divided by the new frontier. Article 6 provided, under specified conditions, options to choose Polish or Soviet citizenship, while Article 7 mutually guaranteed the nationalities on each side intellectual and cultural development, use of their national language, and exercise of religion.
In depth
Article 6 offered a legal mechanism for residents left on either side of the new border to determine their affiliation under stated conditions, alongside the treaty’s provisions on repatriation and population transfer. Article 7 guaranteed the rights of national groups, including Ukrainians, Belarusians, Russians, and Poles, to intellectual and cultural development, use of their national languages, and religious practice. Yet the treaty divided Ukrainian and Belarusian territories and placed large non-Polish populations within Poland, leaving a persistent tension between the guarantees’ wording and their implementation by states.
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN) (Articles 6 and 7: citizenship options and guarantees of intellectual, linguistic, and religious rights)
- encyclopediaofukraine.com (published reference entry: Article 7 cultural, linguistic, and religious guarantees, and the treaty’s citizenship and repatriation provisions)