SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Global chemical weapons watchdog 'closely monitoring' Ukraine
The Hague, June 10 (AFP) Jun 10, 2022
The world's chemical weapons watchdog said Friday it is keeping a close eye on Ukraine since Russia's invasion to monitor "threats of use of toxic chemicals as weapons".

Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons chief Fernando Arias met Ukraine's parliamentary chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk to discuss "the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention," the Hague-based organisation said.

"Since the beginning of the current conflict, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine," the OPCW said in a statement after the meeting.

Friday's talks included "the threat of chemical weapons use and assistance and protection support from the OPCW Technical Secretariat as well as from States Parties to the convention," it said.

The Chemical Weapons Convention is the treaty signed by most countries around the world -- including Ukraine and Russia -- banning the use of chemical weapons.

Stefanchuk's visit comes in the wake of Russia's attack on a chemical plant last week in the eastern Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk in which a nitric acid tank was hit.

The destruction of the tank prompted Ukrainian authorities to call on residents to "stay indoors and prepare protective face masks impregnated with soda solution".

Arias said the OPCW was ready to provide technical assistance to Ukraine, "especially in the field of chemical safety and security."

Stefanchuk in turn said Ukraine -- which ratified the convention in 1998 -- remained committed to its implementation.

"Ukraine undertakes not to use any chemicals as means of warfare," Stefanchuk said.

The OPCW has 193 member states including Kyiv and Moscow, and has overseen the destruction of 99 percent of the world's declared chemical stockpiles.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
SPHEREx completes first full sky infrared map of the cosmos
CoDICE instrument returns first-light particle data for IMAP mission
Top 5 High Volatility Games For 2026 Chase The Biggest Jackpots Today

24/7 Energy News Coverage
The Quantum Age will be Powered by Fusion
Physicists map axion production paths inside deuterium tritium fusion reactors
Hybrid excitons speed ultrafast energy transfer at 2D organic interface

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
SDA expands Tracking Layer satellite awards and related missile defense contracts
Space Systems Command activates System Delta 80 for assured space access
Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions to provide SAR reconnaissance data to German military

24/7 News Coverage
Philosopher argues AI consciousness may remain unknowable
Climate driven model explores Neanderthal and modern human overlap in Iberia
Economic losses from natural disasters down by a third in 2025: Swiss Re



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.