The Warsaw legislature has voted for Poland’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, the international treaty that prohibits the use, storage, production, and transfer of antipersonnel mines. Thus, Poland joins four other neighbors of the Russian Federation, which have also withdrawn from the agreement – Finland and the three Baltic countries, reports IPN.
Poland will be able to commence the storage of mines six months after notifying the other members of the treaty and the United Nations. It should be noted that the Russian army has used land mines in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
The decision comes after the defense ministers from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania recommended the withdrawal from the treaty in mid-March, citing the deteriorating security situation in the region. Finland announced a few days later that it will follow suit, according to TVP World.
The Polish authorities consider antipersonnel mines a necessary tool for strengthening Poland’s defense capabilities, especially along the borders with the Russian exclave Kaliningrad and Belarus.
