Finland's withdrawal from the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention has come into effect, Yle reported on Saturday.
Finland officially notified the UN of its withdrawal from the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention on July 10, with the denunciation taking effect six months later.
“Finland's withdrawal from the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention comes into effect today“, the statement said.
Finland's President Alexander Stubb had earlier assured that after withdrawing from the convention Finland will not use anti-personnel mines in peacetime and intends to stockpile them.
Finland raised the issue of withdrawal in November 2024, along with Poland and the Baltic states. At the time, Stubb said that Finland was exploring the possibility of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention due to an alleged “threat“ from Russia, even though Russia has repeatedly stated that it poses no threat to anyone and has drawn attention to the unprecedented activity of NATO on its western borders.
The Ottawa Convention prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and requires their destruction. It was signed on 3 December 1997 in Ottawa, Canada, and entered into force on 1 March 1999. 163 countries have joined the Convention.