Finland to withdraw from Ottawa Convention

Finland will begin the preparations for withdrawal from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (the Ottawa Convention), said a government press release on Tuesday.

The President and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy decided on the matter in their joint meeting on Tuesday.

In the new security situation, anti-personnel mines would improve the capabilities of the Defence Forces and strengthen Finland’s national defence capacity and security.

Finland remains committed to the humanitarian objectives of the Ottawa Convention.

The security environment in Finland and Europe has changed fundamentally. Russia poses a long-term threat to Europe. This requires the government to take action.

Finland will continue to strengthen its defence on a threat-informed and needs-driven basis.

“Finland is not currently facing an immediate military threat. Withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention will give us the possibility to prepare for the changes in the security environment in a more versatile way,” said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Finland has been a party to the Ottawa Convention since 2012. The security environment has deteriorated fundamentally since then and for the long term.

Russia is not a party to the Ottawa Convention and it has used anti-personnel mines in its war of aggression against Ukraine. As a NATO Ally, Finland is also defending the Alliance’s border with Russia.

The government’s decision is based on an assessment completed last week by the Defence Forces and on preparatory work by officials at the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

In the view of the defence administration, anti-personnel mines are well suited for Finland’s national defence.

Anti-personnel mines make it possible to slow the advance of the attacker and minimise the defender’s casualties. Anti-personnel mines are technically simple and are therefore well suited for training and use in a conscription system. They can also be produced quickly and in large quantities in Finland.

The Defence Forces will not deploy mines in normal conditions. Finland remains committed to its international obligations concerning the responsible use of mines and to the global work to minimise the impacts of mines. An example of this is Finland’s participation in the Lithuania-led Demining Capability Coalition for Ukraine.

Withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention requires a government proposal, which will be prepared under the leadership of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The withdrawal will take effect six months after the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who serves as the Depository, has received Finland’s instrument of withdrawal. Finland has notified its closest partner countries and other key actors of its decision.