Lithuania withdraws from the convention on banning cluster munitions

The Lithuanian Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal of the Ministry of National Defense to denounce the convention banning the use of cluster munitions.

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the national broadcaster, LRT.

The Ministry of Defense believes that it is necessary to denounce the convention, as the situation with national security and threats to the state has fundamentally changed since Lithuania ratified it in 2011. At the same time, most of the region's neighboring countries are not parties to the convention - only Lithuania and Norway have joined the convention so far.

"Also, Russia's war against Ukraine has shown that it is extremely difficult to effectively replace the use of cluster munitions and their defense potential to withstand a large-scale attack," the Defense Ministry said.

The legislative initiative is yet to be approved by the Lithuanian parliament and president. Recently, the President's Office stated that Gitanas Nausėda supports Lithuania's withdrawal from the convention.

Defense Minister Laurinas Kasciunas noted that the denunciation will take place only six months after the Seimas makes a final decision. According to him, this issue should be submitted to the Lithuanian parliament on July 11.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 04/07/2024