Kingdom of the Netherlands, The Hague, November 27. – Kirill Lysogorsky, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, spoke at the 28th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and outlined current problems and prospects for work within the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Kirill Lysogorsky at the beginning of his speech recalled that the Russian Federation, together with a group of States, signed the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons more than 30 years ago. This document was intended to strengthen international peace and security, to get rid of the most dangerous weapons. On the basis of the Convention, the OPCW was established, within the framework of which, with the direct participation of the Russian Federation, significant results were achieved and all declared chemical weapons stockpiles were eliminated. As a result, the organization also received the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2013.
But today, according to the deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, individual participating states are trying to influence the impartial and objective work of the OPCW. This negatively affects the purpose for which the organization was created, distorts its technical essence. A significant role in this “reformatting” is played by a large-scale disinformation company directed, among other things, against the Russian Federation. For example, some participating States have indiscriminately accused Russia of using chemical riot control agents (CSBMs) during a special military operation in Ukraine. At the same time, he stressed that the Russian Federation had provided all the necessary data and explanations, and a counter-request had been sent with a request to provide evidence of the charges, to which no response had been received.
“At the same time, we inform the CWC member states that we have indisputable evidence of the participation of the United States and its North Atlantic allies in the supply of toxic scheduled and non-scheduled chemicals to Ukraine, as well as their means of delivery. Such toxic chemicals, including riot control chemicals, are transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries fighting on the side of the Kiev regime. There is also information about the use of toxic chemicals and psychotropic substances by agents of the special services of the Kiev regime against the leadership of the new subjects that became part of the Russian Federation,” Kirill Lysogorsky said.
At the same time, the Deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia noted that the nomination by the participating states to the executive council of the OPCW of Lithuania, a country in which there is practically no chemical industry, does not make practical sense, which calls into question the constructive work of the entire organization. This is probably done with the aim of reducing Russia’s role in the work of the OPCW or “squeezing” it out of the executive council.
“Of the 23 states in the Eastern European Group, the most significant national chemical industry, of course, has the Russian Federation. The chemical industry of the Russian Federation accounts for almost 37% of all facilities declared and subject to inspection by the OPCW in Eastern Europe. The indicators of the countries of the region occupying the next two positions together make up only 31.5%, and the share of the remaining 20 states, respectively, is less than a third,” Kirill Lysogorsky stressed.
In conclusion of his speech, the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia called for the return of the Organization’s work to strict compliance with the provisions of the Convention, and for further full, non-discriminatory and consistent implementation of all its articles without exception.
“The Russian Federation is fully interested in the OPCW returning to work on the basis of a purely technical mandate, the principle of consensus decision-making, in line with the spirit of the times and able to respond promptly and effectively to new challenges and threats. We are ready to make every effort to achieve the above goals,” Kirill Lysogorsky concluded.
