Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention
Poland and the Baltic states plan to withdraw from an international convention banning the use of landmines, citing potential military threats from neighbouring Russia.
Details:
• The defence ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia said in a statement on Tuesday that they “unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention”.
• The statement argued that the security situation in the region has “fundamentally deteriorated” since the treaty was ratified in 1999 by more than 160 nations, although neither Russia nor the United States signed up.
• “Military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased,” the statement read.
• Poland joined the Western military alliance the same year the treaty was ratified. The Baltic states became NATO members in 2004.
• “With this decision, we are sending a clear message: Our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our territory and freedom,” the statement continued.
• The Baltic states, previously part of the Soviet Union, have repeatedly warned that the apparent rapprochement between Russia and the US threatens their security, as well as that of Ukraine.
• Estonia’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said: “We currently have no plans to develop, stockpile, or use previously banned antipersonnel landmines.”
About Ottawa Convention:
The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction of 1997, known informally as the Ottawa Treaty, the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, or often simply the Mine Ban Treaty, aims at eliminating anti-personnel landmines (APLs) around the world.
• By August 2022, 164 states had ratified or acceded to the treaty. Major powers, which are also past and current manufacturers of landmines, are not parties to the treaty..
• These include the United States, China, and Russia. Other non-signatories include India and Pakistan.