Finland drops restrictions on landmine use

The Finnish parliament on Thursday approved the withdrawal from the international convention that bans anti-personnel mines, which four other countries in the region also plan to leave, citing the security threat posed by Russia.

According to the AFP news agency, the decision was approved by a large majority, with 157 votes in favor and 18 against.

In early April, Finland had already announced that it was preparing to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines, which the country joined in 2012, considering that neighboring Russia now poses a long-term threat to Europe.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia.

In a statement, Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said that this process of withdrawal from the treaty “sends a strong signal that Finland acts quickly and coherently in defense matters.”

Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have also announced in recent months their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention.

The signatories to the Ottawa Treaty undertake not to use, stockpile, produce or transfer anti-personnel mines, and are also obliged to destroy existing stockpiles.

Designed to be buried or concealed in the ground, mines often mutilate their victims, who do not always die immediately but suffer long-term impacts.

The Finnish president is expected to approve the decision soon, and the withdrawal will come into effect six months after Finland officially notifies the United Nations.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement on Monday that he is “deeply concerned by the recent announcements and measures taken by several Member States to withdraw from the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines,” calling on those States to “immediately cease any steps in that direction.”

“These announcements are particularly worrying as they risk weakening the protection of civilians and undermining a regulatory framework that has saved countless lives over two decades,” he said.

António Guterres added that he intends to launch a global campaign “to enforce humanitarian disarmament standards, accelerate the fight against mines as a factor in respect for human rights and sustainable development, and promote the vision of a world free of mines.”