Poland and the Baltic states want to withdraw from the treaty banning anti-personnel mines

Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, and Estonia have announced their withdrawal from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention. This is stated in a joint statement by the defense ministers of the four countries, writes UNN.

Details

The statement emphasizes that the security situation in the region has deteriorated significantly, and military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have increased significantly.

In the current security environment, it is crucial to provide the armed forces with the flexibility and choice regarding the potential use of modern weapons systems and solutions to strengthen the defense of the Alliance's eastern flank, which is under threat, the ministers said.

In light of this volatile security situation, marked by Russia's aggression and the threat it poses to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is crucial to identify all measures that can serve to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities

Reference

The Ottawa Convention entered into force on March 1, 1999. By August 2022, 164 states had ratified or acceded to the treaty, including Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada ratified the treaty in 2005.

The Convention aims to eliminate anti-personnel landmines worldwide. In addition, it obliges participating countries to destroy stockpiles of these weapons and clear mined areas. However, major powers that are former or current producers of landmines have not signed the treaty. These include the United States, China, and Russia.

Recall

As UNN wrote earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk instructed the Ministry of Defense to consider the possibility of withdrawing from the Ottawa and Dublin Conventions. This concerns the use of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions.