On Saturday, December 27, Lithuania completed the procedure for withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibited the country from using, producing, and stockpiling anti-personnel mines. The six-month period after the official notification to the UN Secretary-General expired, allowing the country to begin rearmament. This was reported by BNS, writes UNN.
Details
The Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania announced its intention to start negotiations on the acquisition and domestic production of anti-personnel mines. According to Deputy Minister of Defense Karolis Aleksa, hundreds of millions of euros are planned to be spent on the purchase of anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. This involves ordering tens of thousands of units of ammunition.
Lithuania, together with Finland, is considering launching the production of anti-personnel mines as early as next year. The manufactured products are intended to meet the needs of both countries, as well as be supplied to Ukraine.
Background and international context
The decision to withdraw from the treaty was approved by the Seimas of Lithuania in May 2024. In March, the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland issued a joint statement on the need to abandon the convention due to the changing security situation in the region. Finland later joined this initiative.
Currently, most European Union countries remain members of the Ottawa Convention. At the same time, states such as the United States, China, Russia, India, and Pakistan have never joined this treaty.