Asta Skaisgirytė, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, has urged against making hasty steps in withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
The presidential adviser said she would support the idea of a collective withdrawal by NATO’s eastern flank or at least by countries bordering Russia.
“I would strongly agree that a regional solution should be sought here, and I would see the eastern flank of NATO or at least those countries that directly share a border with Russia as part of that solution,” Skaisgirytė told the Žiniu Radijas radio on Tuesday.
“There should probably be no hasty steps here, but we could weigh all the pros and cons,” the adviser said. “It would make perfect sense for us to take this step together rather than alone.”
With discussions on a potential exit from the Ottawa Convention intensifying in Lithuania, Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has also said that she would be in favour of a joint decision by countries in the region.
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has expressed his support for withdrawal, and Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras has called for the move.
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