Finnish army will be allowed to use anti-personnel mines
The Finnish parliament has supported the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines, Finnish public broadcaster Yle reported.
In the future, the Finnish Defense Forces will be allowed to use anti-personnel mines.
157 deputies voted to withdraw from the convention, 18 were against, and no one abstained. Another 24 deputies were absent during the vote.
In its report, the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs supported the Cabinet's proposal to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention. According to the committee, mines are a defensive weapon for Finland, which is necessary in the context of the deteriorating security situation.
At the same time, Left Alliance MP Veronika Honkasalo objected to the report and proposed a vote against it. The politician believes that the issue is too urgent and that Finland's withdrawal from the convention would undermine the system of international treaties.
The Finnish Parliament also voted in favor of the committee's statement that, despite withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, the country will continue to strongly support humanitarian mine action, such as demining in crisis areas.
- On April 24, the president of Latvia praised the law on the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention. Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia plan to do the same.
- On May 30, Trump's special envoy Kellogg confirmed that Russia was indeed building up forces on the border with Finland.