THE HAGUE, January 14. /TASS/. Russia has refused to associate itself with the decision of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on adding Novichok-type agents to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) schedules, a spokesman for Russia’s mission to the OPCW said on Monday.
According to the spokesman, the Russian side "voiced a number of serious critical remarks concerning the proposal" initiated by Canada, the Netherlands and the United States and "refrained from associating itself with the Executive Council’s decision."
"Such wording is occasionally used by the United Nations Assembly while approving its resolutions," the spokesman noted. "We insisted that Russia’s position be committed to paper in the final report."
Thus, Russia objects against the three nations' proposal to "put under control not the entire spectrum of toxic agents developed and patented in many member nations of the convention, including those called ‘Novichok’ in the West, but only two families of agents illustrated by abstract chemical compounds, which may not exist at all."
The spokesman also pointed to the "political motivation behind the draft resolution bearing in mind that it refers to the Salisbury and Amesbury incidents and UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s loud statements on that matter." Apart from that, the Russian delegation expressed discontent that "the secretariat has ignored additional information to the three nations’ proposal that was submitted to the director general in due time." "The assessment of the Western initiative cannot be considered as comprehensive without it," the spokesman added.