MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Moscow will demand that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) include substances developed by the US and other NATO countries into its list of toxic chemicals, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin told the Rossiya-24 TV channel on Monday.
"Introducing changes to the lists of chemicals, including the Chemical Weapons Convention’s Annex, is a rather pressing issue," he said. "The Americans seek to bring under control the substance that, according to the British, was used in Salisbury and Amesbury. It clearly is a narrow and politicized agenda," the Russian envoy added.
"We, on the other hand, call for including a large group of chemicals, primarily those developed by the Americans and their NATO allies. There are a lot of such substances and we will push for it," Shuglin stressed.
On January 14, the OPCW Executive Council recommended the approval of an initiative put forward by the United States, Canada and the Netherlands to include certain chemical substances, namely the one used in the attack on former Russian military intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, into the Chemical Weapons Convention’s Annex. Russia refused to support the decision. The states parties have 90 days to consider the recommendation.