Lithuania’s neighbours are expressing doubts about the idea of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
This is indicated by comments from the Latvian and Estonian defence ministers, who visited Lithuania on Thursday.
Following military advice, the Lithuanian Defence Ministry earlier this month called for Lithuania’s withdrawal from the convention and for starting consultations with its allies and Baltic Sea countries.
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However, the State Defence Council did not make such a decision after discussing the issue in mid-January. According to President Gitanas Nausėda, this matter will return to the council after consultations with NATO partners.
“Our goal is to have common principles and a strong strategic message on border defence in the region. The consultations are ongoing,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė told reporters.
She has also said earlier that it is important to consult not only with Latvia, Estonia, Poland, and Finland but also with key allies, such as the United States, Germany, and Canada.
Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds said that Riga has not yet made a decision regarding the convention because it has not received military advice.
“We are having this discussion in Latvia. As a minister, I have requested military advice. Military vision is extremely important,” he told the joint news conference.
According to him, this issue was debated in Latvia a year ago, and it was decided then that there was no need to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention.
The Estonian Defence Ministry told BNS this week that it had received military advice not to withdraw from the convention. Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur reiterated this position during his visit to Vilnius.
“Our military advice so far has been that there are alternatives, and using non-controllable anti-personnel landmines is not an asset that limits our ability to fight an enemy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Polish Defence Ministry told BNS that it is closely monitoring discussions about the Ottawa Convention and considering “all possible scenarios”.
“We also seek to ensure that our armed forces have alternatives to anti-personnel mines,” it said in a written comment.
Lithuania is considering exiting the convention to strengthen its border with Russia in the event of possible aggression. Critics of such a decision argue that anti-personnel mines could harm defending forces and civilians.
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