Finland to withdraw from anti-personnel mine ban treaty

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said a fundamentally changed security environment in Europe prompted the decision by Finland -- a NATO member bordering Russia -- to pull out of the 1997 Ottawa Treaty.

"Finland and Europe need to evaluate all measures to strengthen our deterrence and defence capabilities, individually and in NATO," Orpo said at a press conference.

"We also propose that Finland starts to prepare for withdrawal from the Ottawa agreement," he added.

The announcement comes two weeks after four other NATO countries on the military alliance's eastern flank -- Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia -- took a first step towards also quitting the treaty.


All pointed to the increased security threat from Russia.

Finland's parliament needs to back the government's decision, with the withdrawal going into effect six months after parliamentary approval.

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