Latvia’s parliament has approved the country’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, citing the need to bolster national security in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia’s neighbouring countries have expressed growing concerns that they could become targets of Moscow’s aggression.

It is recalled that last March, Poland and the three Baltic countries – Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia – along with Finland, agreed to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty for security-related reasons.

The five-nation decision will leave Norway as the only NATO member  sharing a border with Russia that has not withdrawn from the treaty. On 2 April, Oslo announced that it would remain a party to the Ottawa Treaty, and criticised Helsinki for its decision to withdraw.

The Ottawa Treaty, formally known as the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel mines, and calls for their destruction.

The Treaty has been ratified by more than 160 countries, including all member states of the European Union. Notably, Russia, the United States, and China have not acceded to the Convention.

Source: AMNA

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