Foreign Ministry comment on Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare

April 29 marks the World Remembrance Day for all Victims of Chemical Warfare.

This day gives people the opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of the chemical war.

It also allows governments to confirm their commitments under the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (CWC), whose main task is to destroy the stockpiles of chemical weapon and prevent its re-emergence.

Despite the ongoing efforts of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to fulfil its core mandate, in recent years the world has witnessed repeated use of chemical weapons, namely:

at Kuala Lumpur Airport (Malaysia), in Iraq, in Salisbury (United Kingdom).

However, the largest number of cases of chemical weapons use or toxic chemicals being used as chemical weapons was reported in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR), which joined the CWC in 2013.

The latest fact to confirm the use of chemical weapons in the SAR was the first report of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) responsible for identifying the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the SAR, released April 8, 2020.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its deep concern over the use of chemical weapons by Syrian Armed Forces, resulted in dozens of civilian casualties.

Ukraine reiterates its firm stance that the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any circumstances is a flagrant violation of international law and that those responsible for such actions should be held accountable.

Ukraine looks forward to further outcomes of the investigations to be conducted by the IIT.

We emphasize the need to bring to justice not only the perpetrators of these abhorrent crimes, but also their international sponsors.

We express our deepest sympathy for the victims of chemical weapons. We firmly believe that these horrific crimes cannot remain unpunished.

The source: Ukraine foreign affairs:

https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/foreign-ministry-comment-day-remembrance-all-victims-chemical-warfare