Latvia is removed from a convention on terrestrial mines

The parliament of Latvia approved on Wednesday the withdrawal of the country from the International Convention on the ban on anti-personal terrestrial mines. Latvia has invoked the need to reinforce security in the context of Ukraine’s Russian invasion.

« The removal of the OTAVA Convention will give our Armed Forces maneuvering space in case of military threat, » said the chairman of the parliamentary commission of external affairs in a statement after the vote. The measure will allow the military to “use all possible means to defend our citizens,” added Inara Murniece, quoted by France-Presse (AFP).

Latvia is the first of the Baltic countries to withdraw from the OTAVA Convention and the decision will become official six months after the United Nations (UN) has received the withdrawal document.

Parliament examined the bill urgently and the decision was approved by 66 votes in favor, 14 against and two abstentions. The reason for the decision is the security situation in the Baltic region, which changed significantly compared to that of 20 years ago, when the country joined the convention.

« Russia’s aggression in Ukraine clearly demonstrated that the aggressor does not respect the territorial boundaries of sovereign states and international law, including the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, » reads the bill.

In March, Poland and the three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia) stated that they would have to abandon the security reasons convention followed by Finland. The decision of the five countries leaves Norway as the only NATO country bordering Russia and is still part of the treaty.

The 1997 OTAVA Convention prohibits the use, storage, production and transfer of antipersonal mines, having been ratified by more than 160 countries. Russia, the US and China did not join the convention.