April 2 (UPI) -- Finland joined other European nations in abandoning a long-standing treaty that bans the use of anti-personnel mines.
Finnish president Alexander Stubb announced Tuesday that his country "will prepare for the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention," based on what he described as "a thorough assessment by the relevant ministries and the Defense Forces."
Ministers of Defense from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland announced jointly in March that their countries would no longer observe the Ottawa Convention, or Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which was ratified in 1997.
The U.N. stated that since the treaty was signed, it has "led to a virtual halt in global production of anti-personnel mines, and a drastic reduction in their deployment."
The joint statement released from Poland and the three Baltic states said "military threats to NATO Member States bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased," and that due to "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."
Stubb did not directly connect Finland's withdrawal to Russia, but it too shares a border with Russia, and Russia's war with Ukraine is high among Finnish concerns.
The nonprofit Human Rights Watch noted Tuesday that Russia has not banned the use of anti-personnel landmines and alleges "Russian forces have used anti-personnel landmines extensively in Ukraine since 2022."
With the withdrawal of Finland from the Ottawa Convention, Norway is now the only European country that borders Russia but remains a member of the treaty.
"'I regret Finland's intention to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention," said Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide in a press release Wednesday.
Despite the plan to leave the Ottawa Convention, Stubb added that "Finland is committed to its international obligations on the responsible use of mines."