Estonia withdraws from the Ottawa Convention: the government wants to have freedom of action in case of war with Russia
The Estonian authorities have officially decided to withdraw from an international agreement banning anti-personnel mines, citing a growing threat from Russia.
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The Estonian government has passed a law to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, an international agreement that bans the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines. This was announced by the country's Ministry of Defence after a vote in parliament.
Foreign Minister Margus Tskakhkna, who initiated the bill, explained that the decision was dictated by the new reality of the security situation, in particular Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to him, withdrawal from the convention will expand the country's defence capabilities, allowing it to use the full range of means to deter a potential aggressor.
Tsakhkna said that Estonia should not limit itself; if Russia - which is not a signatory to the Ottawa Convention - has long been using anti-personnel mines on the Ukrainian front on a massive scale, why shouldn't they? At the same time, he stressed that the country will remain within the framework of international humanitarian law and will continue to support humanitarian demining.
The Ottawa Convention has been in force since 1999, and Estonia acceded to it in 2004. The withdrawal will take effect six months after the official notification, unless the country is involved in a war by that time.
Similar processes are already underway in other countries on NATO's eastern flank - Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland. The Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments have already supported the withdrawal, while Poland and Finland are still discussing the decision.
Source: Ministry of Defence of Estonia
