Helsinki Final Act

The Helsinki Accords, Helsinki Final Act, or Helsinki Declaration was the final act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe held in Finlandia Hall of Helsinki, Finland, during July and August 1, 1975.

Thirty-five states, including the USA, Canada, and most European states except Albania, signed the declaration in an attempt to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West. The Helsinki Accords, however, were not binding as they did not have treaty status

The Accords' "Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States" (also known as "The Decalogue") enumerated the following 10 points:

1. Sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty
2. Refraining from the threat or use of force
3. Inviolability of frontiers
4. Territorial integrity of States
5. Peaceful settlement of disputes
6. Non-intervention in internal affairs
7. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief
8. Equal rights and self-determination of peoples
9. Co-operation among States
10. Fulfillment in good faith of obligations under international law

Participants

 Helmut Schmidt
 Erich Honecker
 Gerald Ford
 Bruno Kreisky
 Leo Tindemans
 Todor Zhivkov
 Pierre Trudeau
 Makarios III
 Anker Jørgensen
 Carlos Arias Navarro
 Urho Kekkonen
 Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
 Harold Wilson
 Konstantinos Karamanlis
 János Kádár
 Liam Cosgrave
 Geir Hallgrímsson
 Aldo Moro
 Walter Kieber
 Gaston Thorn
 Dom Mintoff
 André Saint-Mleux
 Trygve Bratteli
 Joop den Uyl
 Edward Gierek
 Francisco da Costa Gomes
 Nicolae Ceaușescu
 Gian Luigi Berti
 Agostino Casaroli
 Olof Palme
 Pierre Graber
 Gustáv Husák
 Süleyman Demirel
 Leonid Brezhnev
 Josip Broz Tito