Country neighboring Russia withdraws from Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty
Photo: President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs (flickr.com eda_dfae)
The Baltic countries and Poland have decided to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines. Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs has already signed the law, the news portal Delfi reports.
The annex to the law states that over the 20 years since Latvia joined the convention, the regional security situation has changed significantly, and Russia, having launched a war against Ukraine, has clearly demonstrated that it does not respect the territorial borders of sovereign states or international law, including the principles set out in the UN Charter.
"Given the dynamics of the regional security situation, it is important for Latvia not to limit the flexibility of its actions and to have the ability to use various weapons systems and solutions to strengthen deterrence and ensure the protection of the state and its population," the statement says.
According to Latvia's assessment, unguided anti-personnel mines, when combined with other mines and weapons systems, enhance defense capabilities that cannot be replaced by alternative solutions.
Withdrawal from convention
On April 16, the Latvian Saeima passed the law on Latvia's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines, in its final reading. 66 members of parliament voted in favor of withdrawing from the convention, while 14 voted against.
It is planned that Latvia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate the submission of withdrawal documents from the convention together with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and Lithuania to the states parties to the convention, the UN Secretary-General, and the UN Security Council.
The convention was adopted in Oslo on September 18, 1997, and came into force in 1999. More than 160 countries around the world have joined it, including most Western states. Countries that have not joined include China, Russia, the United States, India, and Pakistan.
Participants in the convention commit never under any circumstances to use anti-personnel mines, as well as not to develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer them to anyone - neither directly nor indirectly.
