It's not ruled out that Western countries may try to limit Russia's rights at the OPCW, as it happened earlier with Syria, Russian Permanent Representative to the organization Alexander Shulgin told TASS on Friday.
"Of course, such a scenario cannot be ruled out, especially since in recent years the Western countries on the Hague platform with enviable persistence have demonstrated not only their unwillingness, but also simply their absolute unwillingness to discuss and somehow solve the mutual claims accumulated during this time," he said.
According to Shulgin, the realization of such a scenario "would mean the final collapse of the organization".
Russia will continue "to make every effort in the interests of resuming the supremacy of international law, maintaining the integrity of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and normalizing the work of the OPCW," the diplomat assured. "We hope that our colleagues from the Western camp will show a responsible approach to the future of the OPCW, which plays an important role in maintaining international peace and security, and will finally move from 'megaphone diplomacy' to genuine cooperation and dialogue," he added.
In April, OPCW members approved a resolution limiting Syria's rights and privileges. Russia and 14 other countries voted against the document, which deprives Syria of the right to vote at the Conferences of State Parties and the Executive Council, to be elected to it, and to hold OPCW events on its territory.
The resolution was introduced at the initiative of France. The reason for its preparation was the report of the investigation and identification team, which was published on April 8, 2020. The document claims that the Syrian authorities were responsible for three incidents involving toxic substances that took place in the locality of Al-Lataminah in Homs province in March 2017.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / TASS
Based on materials from TASS