Finland, which shares the longest border within NATO with Russia, will withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines, according to President Alexander Stubb.<\/p>\n
The decision comes shortly after Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland declared that they were considering leaving the treaty, which would allow them to stockpile and use mines to protect their borders with Russia.<\/p>\n
\"Finland will prepare for withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention - the decision is based on a thorough evaluation by the relevant ministries and the Defence Forces,\" said Stubb in a note posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n
Finland shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia, the longest among the alliance member countries.<\/p>\n
The convention, formalised almost three decades ago, has 133 signatories and 165 parties, according to the most recent data available from the United Nations. However, countries such as Russia, Belarus, the United States and China have never ratified it.<\/p>\n
Moscow has made extensive use of anti-personnel mines in Ukraine, with the United Nations report<\/u> that Ukraine became the most heavily mined country in the world last year, with 'hundreds of thousands of explosive remnants of war'.<\/p>\n
The war in Ukraine highlighted the double-edged sword that mines represent in military operations. Despite the long-term dangers that unexploded ordnance poses to civilians, these weapons enabled Ukrainian troops to defend themselves effectively and protect their territory from Russian aggression.<\/p>\n
It seems that it is precisely these defensive advantages that European countries seek, according to Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.<\/p>\n
\"Withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention will give us the opportunity to prepare for changes in the security environment in a more versatile way,\" he said at a press conference on 1 April.<\/p>\n
Finland has also pledged to increase its defence spending to 3% of its gross domestic product by 2029, according to Stubb.<\/p>\n\n