Finland will withdraw from the international agreement banning antipersonnel mines, also known as the Ottawa Convention, and spend 3 percent of GDP on defense, the country's President Alexander Stubb said Tuesday.
"Finland will prepare for the withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention," he posted on X. "The decision is based on a thorough assessment by the relevant ministries and the Defence Forces. Finland is committed to its international obligations on the responsible use of mines," he added.
Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said that Finland remains committed to the humanitarian objectives of the Ottawa Convention. "Anti-personnel mines are a necessary and cost-effective way to complement the capabilities of our armed forces. Finland will remain committed to the humanitarian goals of the Ottawa Convention," she said.
Earlier, the defense ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Estonia jointly recommended that their countries withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, arguing that "military threats to the NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have increased significantly."
The Ottawa Convention entered into force in 1999, when 164 states, including Ukraine, joined it. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, anti-personnel mines cause a large number of civilian casualties and continue to pose a danger for many years after the end of hostilities.
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Finland will increase its national defence spending to at least three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029, the Ministry of Defence announced on Tuesday.
ReplyDeleteThe proposal, put forward by Minister of Defence Antti Hakkanen, was approved by the Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy earlier in the day.
"By increasing national defence spending to at least three percent of GDP, we will further strengthen Finland's defence," Hakkanen said in a press release. He added that the decision is a response to the current security situation in Europe.
As part of this increase, the Finnish Defence Forces will receive additional funding of approximately 3.7 billion euros (four billion U.S. dollars) over the next four years, beginning with the spring 2025 spending limits decision.
The Ministry of Defence said that the additional funding will be used to secure critical functions, maintain defence materiel, and enhance the defence system's capability to sustain prolonged combat operations.