Finland has officially withdrawn from the International Convention against the Use of Mines (APL), the country's Foreign Ministry announced this week.
"The decision to withdraw from the Convention is based on Finland's defense needs in the context of deteriorating security," the Finnish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry added that the United Nations has been informed of the decision, allowing the Nordic country to re-deploy mines to its military arsenal within six months.
Drafted in 1997, the Ottawa Treaty prohibits the use, storage, production and transfer of mines as a long-term threat to civilians. Although 164 countries have ratified the treaty, military powers such as the US, China and Russia have not yet joined.
Finland joined the treaty in 2012, but the government began preparing to withdraw from the treaty earlier this year, citing the growing security threat from Russia. Last month, the Finnish parliament approved the above decision with an overwhelming majority.
Finland's withdrawal from the treaty comes shortly after four other NATO members - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - announced similar decisions earlier this year. In a joint statement issued at the end of March, countries cited the growing military threat from Russia as the reason for the move.
