The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania is hosting the Mines Day, an event organised by the Defence Ministry, in Vilnius on Friday. This comes as the country wants to develop military industry and is planning to withdraw from an arms control treaty banning anti-personnel mines.
The ministry told BNS that the event aims to showcase Lithuania’s defence industry capabilities to representatives of the “national defence system”.
The event is attended by defence industry manufacturers and officials, with Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė delivering the welcome speech.
The minister and Chief of Defence General Raimundas Vaikšnoras will present Lithuania’s security situation, the defence preparedness concept and plans, guidelines for implementing the “total defence” model, public readiness to participate in defence, and key steps to bolster military capabilities.
Šakalienė told BNS this week that legislative amendments will be tabled to the parliament during the spring session to cut regulation for military industry companies, making it easier for them to obtain weapons manufacturing licenses.
Moreover, regional decisions related to the use of anti-personnel mines are expected to be announced shortly, she said.
Lithuania considers withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, an arms control treaty that bans anti-personnel mines, as part of efforts to reinforce its border with Russia. Critics argue that such mines could endanger both defending forces and civilians.
Vaikšnoras has previously said that exiting the convention would “untie the hands” of the military.
All EU member countries are parties to the Ottawa Convention, while China, Russia, the US, India, and Pakistan have not joined it.
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