Moscow and Damascus reaffirm the categorical inadmissibility of anyone using chemical weapons under any pretext. This was said in a joint statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad on the subject of the Chemical Weapons Convention, published Monday on the Russian foreign ministry's website.
"Russia and Syria reaffirm the categorical inadmissibility of using chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any pretext," the sides stressed in a statement.
As noted in the Russian diplomatic office, the foreign ministers of Britain, the United States, France and Germany issued a contradictory statement on the April 7, 2018-chlorine provocation in the city of Douma organized by the White Helmets, an NGO affiliated with the Syrian armed opposition. In doing so, they showed support for the January 27 report of this year's Panel of Inquiry and Identification, imposed by the West on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Smolensk Square pointed out that the report concerned "an alleged chemical attack by the Syrian Air Force against civilians in this city and alleged Russian cover-ups."
Moscow pointed out that it considers the statement to be another step toward building up comprehensive pressure on Russia and Syria.
"We believe that the publication of yet another falsified report on the chemical weapons provocation in the city of Douma is nothing but an attempt to again justify the act of triple aggression committed by Britain, the US and France on April 14, 2018, against sovereign Syria through a missile strike on the Syrian civil and military infrastructure in violation of the UN Charter and generally recognized norms of international law," the diplomatic office added.
"We recall in this regard that the PII was established in violation of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (CWC). Despite strong pressure from Western countries, less than half of the States Parties to the CWC voted for its creation," reads the statement.
Evidence of hostile intentions
The Russian foreign ministry also stressed that the Russian and Syrian ministers confirm that the above-mentioned statement of the Quartet is "further evidence of the hostile intentions of these states against our two countries, as well as their destructive policies aimed at creating more and more crises in the Middle East and in the world as a whole."
Smolensk Square pointed out that Moscow and Damascus reject the accusations and condemn the false statement by the foreign ministers of Britain, the United States, France and Germany about what happened in the Syrian city of Douma. "Russia and Syria reject the unsubstantiated accusations brought against them, condemn yet another false statement by Britain, the US, France and the FRG and confirm categorical rejection of the policy pursued by these countries aimed at replacing the UN Charter and generally accepted norms of international law with some "rule-based order", which consolidates the dominance of NATO and EU countries in determining the main parameters of political, economic, scientific, technological, humanitarian and moral development of human civilization," said the statement.
Besides, the Russian foreign ministry reminded that today the "only state-possessor of chemical weapons is the US, which, despite all material, financial and technological possibilities, drags on and on about its chemical demilitarization process."
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Federation Council
Based on materials from TASS