The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) sees the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny with the nerve agent as "a matter of grave concern," the watchdog's director-general, Fernando Arias, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2020) The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) sees the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny with the nerve agent as "a matter of grave concern," the watchdog's director-general, Fernando Arias, said on Thursday.
"Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of chemical weapons. Such an allegation is a matter of grave concern. States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention deem the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances as reprehensible and wholly contrary to the legal norms established by the international community," Arias said.
"The OPCW continues to monitor the situation and stands ready to engage with and to assist any States Parties that may request its assistance," he continued.
Berlin on Wednesday claimed a German military laboratory possessed undeniable proof of 44-year-old Navalny's intoxication with a nerve agent from the Novichok group. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova subsequently noted that the German government's claims of Navalny's poisoning lack evidence, and added that it was perplexing why Berlin first addressed the EU, NATO and third parties, such as the OPCW, in relation to the case, instead of contacting Russia directly.
