According to the Ministry of National Defence (MND), as of today, Lithuania has the right to negotiate, organise purchases or production, and stockpile anti-personnel mines.
The MND announced the regional decision to denounce the Anti-Personnel Mine Convention in early March this year.
Initially, the Baltic states and Poland announced their intention to do so, followed shortly thereafter by Finland. At the end of April, the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK) also approved this decision.
According to the Ministry of National Defence, options for both purchasing and producing mines in Lithuania are currently being explored.
„We are currently evaluating various options for purchasing or manufacturing anti-personnel mines that meet Lithuania's defence needs, giving preference to Lithuanian manufacturers,“ the ministry told ELTA.
ELTA recalls that Lithuania ratified the convention aimed at eliminating anti-personnel mines in 2003. The agreement commits signatories not to use, develop, produce, acquire, stockpile, retain, or transfer anti-personnel mines.
However, given the unstable situation in the region, in March this year, the defence ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland announced a joint proposal to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention. Finland later announced the same decision.
For its part, the Ministry of National Defence emphasises that, even after denouncing the Ottawa Convention, Lithuania will continue to adhere to the recognised principles and norms of international humanitarian law governing the conduct of warfare and the protection of civilians.