Polish and Baltic Defense Ministers Call for Withdrawal From Ottawa Convention

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense has published a copy of a letter signed by its defense minister and those of, Poland, Latvia and Estonia calling for their withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on anti-personnel landmines.

The joint statement said the security situation in the region had “significantly deteriorated” and military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus had “significantly increased.”

“Considering these circumstances, we – the Ministers of Defense of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland – unanimously recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention.”

“We believe that in the current security environment it is essential to give our defense forces flexibility and freedom of choice regarding the possible use of new weapons systems and solutions to strengthen the defense of the Alliance’s vulnerable eastern flank.”

“After intensive discussions, the unanimous recommendation to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, agreed upon by the defense ministers of the Baltic states and Poland, sends a strategic signal that all opportunities will be used to strengthen deterrence and effective defense and to exercise freedom of choice in military action,” the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The letter stresses that, despite the withdrawal from the Convention, countries will remain committed to international humanitarian law.

“The common regional decision sends a clear signal – the states bordering Russia are ready to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of their citizens. The unified position reached during intensive discussions reflects the common approach of the Baltic States and Poland to the complex geopolitical situation,” Lithuanian Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said in a press release from the Ministry of Defense.

“We want to ensure common principles for the most effective protection of our borders. We have also discussed our position with allies who have deployed or plan to deploy troops on our territory. I am grateful for their constructive approach to our delicate situation,” she added.

The recommendation has still to be ratified and approved by the countries’ parliaments.

All European Union countries including Poland and the three Baltic states, as well as Ukraine and Belarus are signatories of the Ottawa Convention; Russia and the US are not. Lithuania and Belarus ratified the convention in 2003, Estonia in 2004, Latvia and Ukraine in 2005 and Poland in 2012.

Other countries in the region including Finland have signaled a review of their membership of the international convention banning cluster munitions as a result of the war in Ukraine with Lithuania having announced at the start of this month that it has pulled out.