After receiving military advice, the Defence Ministry proposed initiating Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
The ministry also said in a press release on Tuesday that it calls for starting consultations with allies and Baltic Sea countries on this step.
In Lithuania, it proposes beginning discussions on the potential withdrawal at the State Defence Council, aiming to secure broad political consensus on the issue.
“It is also important to consult with key allies that send troops to Lithuania, such as the United States, Germany and other NATO countries. These consultations would help to take decisions in line with regional and international defence interests,” the statement reads.
Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told BNS that she received formal military advice on the withdrawal on Monday.
According to the Defence Ministry, denouncing the convention would enhance national defence and deterrence capabilities.
“Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention would send a clear and strong message to both domestic and international audiences that the country is ready to defend its territory by all available means,” Šakalienė was quoted as saying in the press release.
“Even after denouncing the Ottawa Convention, Lithuania would still adhere to internationally recognised humanitarian law principles and norms regarding civilian protection and methods of warfare,” she added.
According to the ministry, a unified stance among Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Finland, and Sweden would strengthen deterrence and demonstrate a shared regional approach to defence.
If the State Defence Council endorses the withdrawal, the ministry will recommend that President Gitanas Nausėda formally request the parliament to denounce the convention.
Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras has previously said that Lithuania’s exit from the agreement would “untie the hands” of the military.
However, opinions on the matter are divided in the region, with some countries supporting the move and others hesitating, citing a lack of technical necessity.
Last December, the then Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said he would initiate discussions on withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, noting that similar debates were already underway in Finland.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys on Wednesday urged officials to handle the issue of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention “delicately” and in consultation with allies.
“The ministry’s advice is to handle everything delicately, to discuss,” he told reporters.
“We understand the sensitivity of the issue and the attention it draws from partners, but we also have to do everything in consultation with those states that show the need to reduce certain restrictions, perhaps in light of what is happening in Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the minister added.
The Ottawa Convention, signed by over 160 countries, including most Western nations, prohibits the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, and transfer of anti-personnel mines.
China, Russia, the United States, India, and Pakistan are not parties to this convention.
Last July, the Lithuanian parliament voted to denounce the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
Lithuania submitted the withdrawal documents to the UN secretary general in early September and will formally exit the convention in March. From then on, the country will no longer be subject to restrictions on acquiring, transporting, and using cluster munitions.
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