Latest news with #OttawaConvention
See - Sada Elbalad
10 hours ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
Finland Approves Withdrawal from Anti-Personnel Landmine Treaty
Israa Farhan Finland's parliament has voted in favor of withdrawing from the international treaty banning the use of anti-personnel landmines, aligning the country with several of its NATO neighbors amid growing security concerns in the region. The decision, passed on Thursday with 157 votes in favour and only 8 against, will officially take effect six months after Finland formally notifies the United Nations. The move signals a significant shift in defense policy as Finland reconsiders its military strategies in response to heightened regional tensions. Several of Finland's NATO allies, including the Baltic states—Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia—as well as Poland, have already withdrawn from the treaty. The Finnish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee had approved the proposal earlier in April, paving the way for the vote. The Finnish military has argued that maintaining the option to use anti-personnel mines is essential for national defense. This perspective has gained traction in recent years as the security environment in Northern and Eastern Europe has evolved rapidly. The treaty, formally known as the Ottawa Convention, came into force in March 1999. It prohibits the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines. Finland joined the treaty in 2012 but had maintained reservations about its limitations in military defiance scenarios. Major global powers, including the United States, Russia, China, India, and Pakistan, have never signed the treaty, citing security and strategic concerns. Finland's decision to withdraw places it in closer alignment with NATO's evolving defense posture, particularly along its eastern flank, as the alliance continues to adapt to rising geopolitical challenges. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean News 3 Killed in Shooting Attack in Thailand
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Finland's lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia
HELSINKI — Finland's parliament voted overwhelmingly to pull out of a major international treaty on antipersonnel land mines Thursday as the Nordic country seeks to boost its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia next door. Finland shares a 830-mile land border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023. Finland says land mines could be used to defend its vast and rugged terrain in the event of an attack. Finnish lawmakers voted 157-18 to move forward on a government proposal to leave the Ottawa Convention. The Nordics and Baltics have been sounding the alarm on a potential Russian incursion since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by land mines and discarded explosives, as a result of Russia's ongoing war. The Ottawa Convention was signed in 1997, and went into force in 1999. Nearly three dozen countries have not acceded to it, including some key current and past producers and users of land mines such as the United States, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Russia. In a report released last year by Landmine Monitor, the international watchdog said land mines were still actively being used in 2023 and 2024 by Russia, Myanmar, Iran and North Korea. In the Baltics, lawmakers in Latvia and Lithuania earlier this year voted to exit the treaty. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said civilians will pay the price if more countries leave the treaty. 'The global consensus that once made anti-personnel mines a symbol of inhumanity is starting to fracture,' Spoljaric said in a news release earlier this week. 'This is not just a legal retreat on paper—it risks endangering countless lives and reversing decades of hard-fought humanitarian progress.'
a day ago
- Politics
Finland votes to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses
HELSINKI -- Finland's parliament voted overwhelmingly to pull out of a major international treaty on antipersonnel land mines Thursday as the Nordic country seeks to boost its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia next door. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) land border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023. Finland says land mines could be used to defend its vast and rugged terrain in the event of an attack. Finnish lawmakers voted 157-18 to move forward on a government proposal to leave the Ottawa Convention. The Nordics and Baltics have been sounding the alarm on a potential Russian incursion since it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by land mines and discarded explosives, as a result of Russia's ongoing war. The Ottawa Convention was signed in 1997, and went into force in 1999. Nearly three dozen countries have not acceded to it, including some key current and past producers and users of land mines such as the United States, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Russia. In a report released last year by Landmine Monitor, the international watchdog said land mines were still actively being used in 2023 and 2024 by Russia, Myanmar, Iran and North Korea. In the Baltics, lawmakers in Latvia and Lithuania earlier this year voted to exit the treaty. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said civilians will pay the price if more countries leave the treaty. 'The global consensus that once made anti-personnel mines a symbol of inhumanity is starting to fracture,' Spoljaric said in a news release earlier this week. 'This is not just a legal retreat on paper—it risks endangering countless lives and reversing decades of hard-fought humanitarian progress.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Finnish parliament votes to exit landmines treaty due to Russia threat
HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finland's parliament voted on Thursday in favour of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines amid concerns over a military threat posed by neighbouring Russia. Finland joins other European Union and NATO members bordering Russia - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland - in leaving or planning to leave the treaty, as fears grow about their much larger neighbour. President Alexander Stubb, who leads Finland's foreign and security policy, has defended the move. "The reality in the endgame is that we have as our neighbouring country an aggressive, imperialist state called Russia, which itself is not a member of the Ottawa Treaty and which itself uses landmines ruthlessly," he said. Russia has used landmines in its invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish decision follows similar votes in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where parliaments have approved the withdrawal. Finland, which guards NATO's longest border with Russia, will be able to start stockpiling landmines six months after formally notifying other treaty members and the United Nations of its resignation. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday launched a new effort to "uphold the norms of humanitarian disarmament", urging all states to adhere to existing treaties and immediately halt any steps towards their withdrawal. "I am gravely concerned by recent announcements and steps taken by several Member States to withdraw from the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention," he said in a statement. In response to Guterres' concerns, Finland's Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said the aim of the withdrawal was to protect civilians and minimise the loss of human lives. "I believe that our government and parliament have a duty to take measures that reduce Finland's risk of being attacked," the minister said on social media X. "Protection against the Russian threat takes priority," he added. Parliament on Thursday also agreed to permit land mine exports under usual arms sale control procedures.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Finland's lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty as Nordic country boosts defenses against Russia
HELSINKI (AP) — Finland's parliament voted overwhelmingly to pull out of a major international treaty on antipersonnel land mines Thursday as the Nordic country seeks to boost its defenses against an increasingly assertive Russia next door. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) land border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023. Finland says land mines could be used to defend its vast and rugged terrain in the event of an attack. Finnish lawmakers voted 157-18 to move forward on a government proposal to leave the Ottawa Convention.
