Finland’s parliament has voted 157-18 in favor of leaving the Ottawa Convention, a major international treaty banning antipersonnel land mines. The decision comes as the Nordic country strengthens its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia, with which it shares a 1,340-kilometer border. Finnish lawmakers argue that land mines could be used to defend Finland’s vast and rugged terrain in case of an attack.
The move follows similar actions taken by Latvia and Lithuania in the Baltics, where lawmakers also voted to exit the treaty earlier this year. The Ottawa Convention was signed in 1997 and has been ratified by nearly 100 countries. However, some key producers and users of land mines, including Russia, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea, and the United States, have not acceded to it.
Analysts note that Ukraine is among the countries most affected by land mines and discarded explosives due to Russia’s ongoing war. The Landmine Monitor report released last year found that land mines were still actively being used in 2023 and 2024 by Russia, Myanmar, Iran, and North Korea. International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric warned that leaving the treaty risks endangering countless lives and reversing decades of humanitarian progress.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/finland-land-mines-russia-f54d2eaeb3552e04ab91a51575a401d9