Alexander Shulgin, Russia's permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, has labeled the United States' accusations against Russia and Syria regarding the lack of a final document at the OPCW review conference as a deceptive tactic. During an online briefing on Wednesday, Shulgin expressed his perspective on the matter.
"When the Americans claim that the review conference ended without a final document due to the fault of Russia and Syria, it is a significant act of deception," Shulgin stated.
The diplomat highlighted that several countries, including Russia, Syria, Iran and China, opposed the inclusion of a positive mention of the OPCW attribution team's activities in the final document. This team is responsible for identifying those accountable for chemical weapon use. Shulgin reiterated that this structure lacks legitimacy, and Russia has voiced its objection numerous times.
Shulgin further emphasized that despite the disagreements, the majority of the final document had been agreed upon. "I will not hesitate to say it - 90% of the document was agreed upon," he asserted.
According to Shulgin, Russia proposed adopting a political declaration on the 90% of agreed-upon issues. "However, the American delegation arrogantly rejected the proposal. Observing the conference's mood, the US delegation feared that the voting outcome might not align with their expectations. Consequently, they opted to leave the conference without a final document," he concluded.
The fifth special session of the Conference of the States Parties to Review the Operation of the Chemical Weapons Convention took place in The Hague from May 15-19. Due to disagreements on certain issues, the participants failed to reach a consensus and adopt the final document.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS
Based on materials from TASS