Estonia moves forward with international mine treaty withdrawal
The Estonian government has approved draft legislation to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use of anti-personnel landmines. The proposal still needs to be passed by the parliament.
Last month, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland announced they would withdraw from the Ottawa Convention. Finland followed several weeks later.
On Thursday, the government approved a draft proposal drawn up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said leaving the agreement "sends a clear message" to Russia that Estonia is "ready and capable of using" of using all means necessary to defend itself.
"Russia, our greatest security threat, is not a party to the Ottawa Convention and has mined over 100,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory," he said.
"It is essential for the Estonian Defence Forces to have greater flexibility and freedom in choosing weapons systems, considering the nature of the threats directed at us and the behavior of a potential adversary."
The minister stressed that leaving the convention does not affect Estonia's ongoing commitment to international law or international humanitarian law.
The government will submit the draft to the Riigikogu for a decision. The bill will undergo two readings in the Riigikogu, and its adoption requires a majority vote.
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Editor: Helen Wright
