Anti-personnel mines are an important capability enhancer, but they are neither a miracle weapon nor would their presence in our stockpiles signal the “end of the world,” military analyst Mārtiņš Vērdiņš stated in an interview on the TV3 programme “900 sekundes”.
“In general, we are returning to a normal situation, especially considering that our potential adversary has such a tool in their arsenal. Therefore, we have no reason to limit ourselves (..),” he said.
As an advocate for withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, Vērdiņš acknowledged that he does not foresee Latvia immediately deploying these mines for border defence. “We are talking about a situation where there is war, combat operations. In such a case, all available tools are used to make our soldiers more effective and achieve victory. Of course, in such a context, there will be some risks to civilians, but anti-personnel mines will not be the primary or only threat,” he explained.
Vērdiņš added that one of the main purposes of these mines is to deter the enemy from attacking in the first place. Therefore, merely having such mines in Latvia’s arsenal would serve as a deterrent factor.
During the conversation, Vērdiņš also commented on Tuesday’s talks between the U.S. and Russia, which resulted in an agreement on a 30-day partial ceasefire in Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine, specifically concerning energy and infrastructure targets.
THE EXPERT STRESSED THAT THIS WAS NEITHER THE FIRST NOR THE LAST ROUND OF TALKS.
“The key issue here is on what terms any agreement is reached. There is no doubt that two countries can agree on anything if they have the will to do so,” he said.
As previously reported by LETA, the Latvian government decided on Tuesday to begin the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines. By the next government meeting, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will prepare the necessary legislative proposal. Afterward, the matter will be decided by the Saeima (Parliament), which will make the final decision.
If the government supports the bill and the Saeima subsequently approves it, all other member states, the depository (the UN Secretary-General), and the UN Security Council will be informed. According to the Ministry of Defence, the withdrawal will take effect six months after the depository receives the formal withdrawal document.
The Ottawa Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production, and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, obliges signatory states to “never, under any circumstances, use anti-personnel mines.” The treaty, which came into force in 1999, has been joined by more than 160 countries, including most Western nations. However, notable non-signatories include China, Russia, the United States, India, and Pakistan.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the defence ministers of Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Poland have reached a regional agreement recommending that their countries withdraw from the Ottawa Convention to strengthen their borders.