Baltic and Polish defense ministers on Tuesday said they recommend withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel landmines, as regional security threats increase.

In a joint statement, the ministers said the security situation in the region has significantly deteriorated since the ratification of the Ottawa Convention.

“Military threats to NATO Member States bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased. In light of this unstable security environment marked by Russia’s aggression and its ongoing threat to the Euro-Atlantic community, it is essential to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defense capabilities. We believe that in the current security environment, it is paramount to provide our defense forces flexibility and freedom of choice to potentially use new weapons systems and solutions to bolster the defense of the Alliance’s vulnerable Eastern Flank,” the statement reads.

Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) said Estonia will still follow the military advice of the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Andrus Merilo on the issue.

The commander has previously said there is no need to adopt previously banned anti-personnel landmines for Estonia’s national defense.

“We currently have no plans to develop, stockpile, or use previously banned anti-personnel landmines. In acquiring military capabilities, we will continue to be guided by the needs and requests of the Estonian Defence Forces,” Pevkur said.

“Of course, Estonia and our regional allies remain committed to upholding international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, even after withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention,” he added.

The minister said discussions around the Ottawa Convention have always taken place with neighboring countries and plans are carried out in “solidarity and coordination within the region.”

As the Ottawa Convention is an international treaty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate the next steps of the withdrawal process in Estonia.

The Ottawa Convention prohibits signatory states from using, stockpiling, producing, and transferring anti-personnel landmines and requires their destruction. Estonia joined the Ottawa Convention in 2004.

The statement was signed by Pevkur, Latvia’s Andris Spruds, Lithuania’s Dovile Šakaliene and Poland’s Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.

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