Finland today said the NATO member country is planning to quit a global convention banning anti-personnel landmines and boost defense spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP by 2029.
The country said, it is taking the steps in response to the evolving military threat from Russia. Talking to reporters, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said, there was no immediate military threat to his Nordic nation.
He said, withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa convention will give them the possibility to prepare for the changes in the security environment in a more versatile way. Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania last month said, they will withdraw from the Ottawa convention due to threats posed by neighboring Russia.
By leaving the treaty, Finland, which guards NATO’s longest border with Russia, could start stockpiling landmines again to have them at hand should a need arise.
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told a press conference there was no immediate military threat to his Nordic nation, but that Russia poses a long-term danger to all of Europe.