Poland and Baltic countries have announced plans to withdraw from a key international treaty banning anti-sound mines, citing rising threats from Russia.
In a joint statement, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland said that the threat from Moscow and its allies Belarus has “significantly increased” since the signing of the Ottawa Treaty.
They say that giving their troops “flexibility and freedom of choice” to defend the eastern side of NATO is “most important.”
The Ottawa Treaty, also known as the Mineral Ban Treaty, came into force in 1997. Its purpose is to ban antisound mines (mines targeting humans) around the world and has been signed by more than 160 countries.
However, some major military powers, including China, India, Russia, Pakistan and the United States, have never signed it.
By 2005, all Baltic countries had signed the Convention, and Poland joined the General Assembly in 2012.
exist Their joint statement However, the country’s defense minister said on Tuesday that security situation in its region has “significantly worsened” since the signing of the treaty.
“In view of these considerations, we…unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention.
“Through this decision, we are sending a clear message: Our country is ready to take all necessary measures to defend our territory and freedoms,” the Defense Minister wrote.
But they stressed that despite the plan to leave the treaty, Poland and Baltic States remain committed to international humanitarian laws, “including the protection of civilians during armed conflict.”
“Our country will continue to adhere to these principles while meeting our security needs,” they wrote.
All four countries are in the NATO alliance, and all four countries share borders with Russia.
Since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic countries and Poland have greatly increased military spending and provided a lot of support to Ukraine.
According to the Kiel Institute think tank, the Baltic countries and Poland are among the donors of aid to Ukraine by percentage of GDP.
Ukraine is the signator of the Ottawa Treaty It has received landmines from the United States During the full Russian invasion, the United Nations was told in the past that due to Russian invasion It cannot be guaranteed It complies with the treaty.
Article 20 of the Convention However, it is particularly noted that if a country is currently in a state of war, it cannot withdraw from the treaty.
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