Latvia Withdraws from International Convention Banning Cluster Munitions

Riga, Latvia – April 16, 2025 – The Latvian Parliament, known as Saeima, has officially passed a law enabling the country to withdraw from the international Convention on Cluster Munitions, also known as the Ottawa Convention. This decision follows two rounds of voting within the legislative body.

Inara Murniece, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, emphasized that withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention would give the Latvian armed forces greater flexibility to utilize all available measures to protect citizens in the event of military threats. This significant shift in policy reflects Latvia's growing concerns regarding national security amidst rising tensions in the region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with delivering the official withdrawal notice to member countries of the convention, as well as to the UN Secretary-General and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The withdrawal will take effect six months after the UN receives the necessary documentation.

Latvia is not alone in this withdrawal. Earlier in March 2025, Lithuania announced its own plans to exit the same convention. Other neighboring nations, including Poland, Estonia, and Finland, have also indicated intentions to pull out of the convention aimed at prohibiting the use of cluster munitions.

Latvia became a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in 2005 and completed the destruction of its stockpile of cluster munitions in 2010. The international treaty, adopted in September 1997 in Ottawa, Canada, seeks to ban the use, stockpiling, production, and transfer of cluster munitions globally. To date, over 160 countries have either ratified or joined the agreement.

This development raises important questions about regional security and military preparedness as European nations reassess their defense strategies in light of current geopolitical tensions. The impact of these withdrawals on international arms control efforts will be monitored closely in the coming months.

For further updates, please refer to the foreign affairs sections of this publication.

Author: Tâm Hằng (Source: TTXVN)