The attempted coup in Moscow, August 19–21, 1991, can be seen as a turning-point in the Finnish-Soviet and Finnish-Russian relations. As a result of these events, the old Cold-War Europe was definitively left behind and the so-called New Europe entered instead to determine the mutual relations. Actually, the question is about gradual even though relatively rapid developments ranging from the perestroika in the latter half of the 1980s to about early 1992. Yet the critical days, August 19–21, 1991, were of crucial significance in this process.

The change comprised all aspects of inter-state relations: The Finnish neutrality and the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance (FCA Pact) as foundations of the political relations were replaced by military non-alliance and independent defence as the Finnish security-policy doctrine and a new Treaty of the Foundations of Relations between Finland and the Russian Federation, respectively. The “political line” in the conduct of political relations was abolished. For economic relations, the bilateral trade regime was replaced by a multilateral one and the Finnish-Soviet Trade Treaty of 1947 and some other commercial agreements were replaced by a new trade agreement with the Russian Federation. Cultural exchange under the Finnish-Soviet Scientific-Technical Cooperation Committee was replaced by new type of neighbouring-area cooperation.