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Greece ratified the Convention on 25 September 2003, and the Convention entered into force for Greece on 1 March 2004.
On 23 June 2004, Greece submitted its initial transparency report in accordance with Article 7, paragraph 1, reporting a stockpile of 1,566,532 anti-personnel mines under its jurisdiction or control. On 1 March 2008, Greece’s deadline for the destruction of its stockpiled anti-personnel mines passed. On 1 October 2014, Greece indicated that an explosion had occurred at the facilities of the company contracted to destroy Greece’s mines and that work had been suspended. On 31 December 2014, Greece provided information in response to its commitment under Action #5 of the Maputo Action Plan to provide a plan for the destruction of its stockpiled anti-personnel mines. In 2017, at the Sixteenth Meeting of the States Parties (16MSP), Greece reported it had resumed efforts to adhere to its initial intention to complete the destruction of all stockpiled anti-personnel mines and that it would do so by the end of 2019. In its Article 7 submitted in 2019, Greece indicated that it had destroyed 1,171,715 anti-personnel mines, and that 396,452 mines remained to be destroyed.
Notwithstanding the obligation to destroy all stockpiled anti-personnel mines, the Convention permits the retention of a minimum number of anti-personnel mines absolutely necessary for the development of and training in mine detection, mine clearance, or mine destruction techniques. As of 2020, Greece has reported having 5,585 anti-personnel mines for these permitted purposes. These mines are retained to train soldiers in mine detection and clearance and in canine detection.
In its initial transparency report, Greece indicated that there were areas under its jurisdiction or control in which anti-personnel mines were known or suspected to be emplaced. In accordance with Article 5 of the Convention, Greece undertook to destroy or ensure the destruction of all anti-personnel mines in these areas as soon as possible but not later than 1 March 2014. |
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