1940,

and currently in force since

1948,

provides in its

Article Il:
Finland undertakes to demilitarize the
Aaland Islands, not to fortify them and not to
“make them available to the armed forces of any
other

State.

This provision shall be deemed to mean
that neither Finland nor any other Power shall
establish or maintain in the Aaland Islands
region any military or naval establishment or
operational base, any establishment or opera-

tional base for military aviation, or any
other installation which might be used for
military purposes.
The existing gun-platforms

shall be demolished.2/

The propesals embodied in Points One and Two are fully consistent with the United Nations Charter.

The Charter not only

prohibits the threat or use cf force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any State

(Art.

2(4));

it expressly recognizes the inherent right of individual or
collective self-defense

2.

(Art.

51).

Given that the provisions implementing Foints

One and Two would be valid under international law,
to determine their legal effects.

Of course,

it remains

the legal regime

created by those implementing provisions would be, primarily,
that which they themselves establish.2”

The question is,

2/
67 U.N.T.S., No. 872, p. 146.
This agreement came into
force again as from March 13, 1948, pursuant to a notification
given to Finland by the Soviet Union in accordance with Article
12 of the Treaty of Peace with Finland.
Whiteman, Digest of
International Law,

3/

See Article 26

vol.

II,

p.

1206.

(pacta sunt servanda) of the Vienna Conven-

tion on The Law of Treaties,

adopted on May 29,

1969,

entered

(footnote cont'd)

Select target paragraph3