Lithuania has announced its decision to withdraw from the Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines (Ottawa Convention), joined by Poland, Latvia and Estonia, the press service of the Lithuanian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The document notes that the security situation in the region has deteriorated significantly since the agreement was ratified. The ministers pointed to the growing military threat from Russia and Belarus and stressed the need to strengthen the defence capabilities of NATO’s eastern flank.
Hanno Pevkur, head of the Estonian Defence Ministry, specified that the country has no plans to develop, stockpile or use anti-personnel mines. However, he emphasised that decisions on this issue should be taken jointly with regional allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk earlier told the Sejm that his position on withdrawing from international agreements banning the use of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions is positive.
“There are those in our environment whom we may fear or those who are involved in war – everyone has these weapons,” the prime minister said. He added that Warsaw is ready to act regardless of external pressure.
The Ottawa Convention (Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention) is an international treaty adopted in 1997 that bans the development, production, use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines. The document also obliges States Parties to destroy existing stockpiles and provide assistance to mine victims.
