Lithuania has begun considering the possibility of withdrawing from the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines (Ottawa Treaty).

This was reported by the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

It is reported that the beginning of the consideration of the withdrawal is related to the need to strengthen national defense and deterrence.

“The Ministry of National Defense will consult with key allies to work out the details and ensure a unified approach to regional security,” the statement reads.

The Baltic states announced plans to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty in February 2024.

In December 2024, it was reported that a civic initiative in Finland had gathered signatures for the country’s withdrawal from the same convention.

The required threshold of 50,000 signatures was successfully passed, and the collection began on Finland’s Independence Day, December 6.

The petition was initiated by MEP Mika Aaltola, former Defense Minister Jussi Niiniste, former Finnish Defense Force Commander Admiral Juhani Kaskela, and a number of former diplomats.

Former head of state Sauli Niinistö believes that other countries would understand if Finland withdrew from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines.

In general, the massive use of infantry by the Russian army has created a new reality in which neighboring countries need to prepare for a military conflict without this convention.

The Ottawa Treaty was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Oslo on September 18, 1997 and opened for signature in Ottawa on December 3-4, 1997. It entered into force on March 1, 1999.

It was not signed by China, Russia, the United States, India, Israel, North and South Korea.