{"id":141357,"date":"2025-06-04T22:15:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T19:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/141357\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"estonian-parliament-backs-withdrawal-from-antipersonnel-mine-ban-convention","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/141357\/","title":{"rendered":"Estonian Parliament backs withdrawal from antipersonnel mine ban convention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 4, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Estonian MPs have passed a bill on withdrawing the country from the Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits using, stockpiling and producing anti-personnel landmines, the Riigikogu reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill received 81 “Yes” votes, one “No” vote and seven abstentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 18, the defense ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia issued a joint statement recommending that their countries withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military threats faced by NATO members near Russia and Belarus have increased significantly, the ministers said. Given Russia’s aggression and its persistent threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is vital to consider all measures to reinforce deterrence and defense capabilities, they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 22, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d commented on the potential withdrawal of Poland and the Baltic states from the convention by saying that Minsk “should be on guard, but . . . should not take the same militarized approaches.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We would not succeed in this arms race. However, we are undertaking some forms of cooperation with our closest partners and allies\u2014with Russia\u2014on nuclear deterrence and ballistic weapons deterrence. This is much cheaper and more effective,” the minister said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus joined the Ottawa Treaty on September 3, 2003 (the decision came into force on March 1, 2004).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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