Adopting a new budget and expanding the mandate of the OPCW violates the principles of the convention on the prohibition of chemical weapons and undermines the key foundations of the functioning of this international organization, said member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Sergey Zheleznyak.
The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CGS CWC) on Tuesday approved a draft budget for 2019, which provides for the expansion of the mandate of the OPCW. Under the new authority, the organization gets the opportunity to identify the perpetrators of the chemical attacks. Russia does not agree with the decision to increase the budget of the OPCW.
“The adoption of the new budget and the expansion of the mandate of the OPCW, which pushed the United States, violates the principles of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and undermines the key foundations of the functioning of this international organization. Countries that voted to expand the organization’s mandate should understand that they will be responsible for all the consequences of such provocative actions,” Zheleznyak told.
The politician stressed that Russia continues its efforts to preserve the independence of the OPCW, which is designed to carry out the objective task of preventing the proliferation and use of chemical weapons.
“By pressure and blackmail, US representatives do not abandon attempts to finally turn the OPCW into a puppet and virtually pocket organization, which will be ordered by the countries and regimes that are not acceptable to Washington. The United States is constantly trying to accuse other countries, including Russia and Syria, of using chemical weapons,” he said.
The deputy recalled that the United States has not yet destroyed its chemical arsenals, despite the obligations assumed under the agreement with Russia.
“In addition, it is the United States and its satellites in Europe that finance the so-called White Helmets, who are constantly involved in organizing chemical provocations in the territory of sovereign Syria. The increase in the organization’s budget is aimed at expanding the arsenal of OPCW tools, including empowering the verdict function, ”said the parliamentarian.
Zheleznyak is confident that such a dangerous maneuver opens the Pandora’s box and makes it impossible to maintain the neutral status of the organization, thus jeopardizing the very system of preventing the spread of chemical weapons.
“Transnational crime and international terrorism can take advantage of this, which will entail new victims in different countries of the world. Russia strongly opposes such transformations of an international organization and reserves the right to continue efforts to preserve the independent nature of the activities of the OPCW,” he concluded.