Russia: Chemical terrorism spreads from the Middle East thanks to Western complicity

Illustration photo: TASS

On May 24, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the West's stance on the issue of chemical weapons in Syria could encourage chemical terrorism beyond the borders of the Middle East.

This is the Ministry's comment on the May 17-18 meeting of the International Partnership Against Sanctions for the Use of Chemical Weapons.

“Inciting the armed opposition in Syria to carry out provocations of this kind can lead to a situation in which the phenomenon of “chemical” terrorism, which has emerged in the Middle East with the complicity of the West, will go beyond the borders of this region with all its possible catastrophic consequences,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow stressed.

Russia also expressed hope that “sooner or later the truth will prevail,” and that the accusations against Russia and Syria “will backfire.”

Previously, many non-governmental organizations, including the White Helmets, confirmed that chemical weapons were used in Eastern Ghouta on April 7. Representatives from the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides visited Douma on April 9 and found no traces of any use of chemical weapons there.

One day later, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also decided to send its experts to Syria to check information that chemical weapons may have been used there.

OPCW investigators arrived in Damascus on April 14. Hours earlier, the United States, Britain and France had launched a large-scale attack on Syria, using unconfirmed reports of the incident as a pretext and without the approval of the United Nations Security Council.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Syrian air defenses shot down 71 out of 103 missiles launched at Syrian facilities, and three civilians were injured in the incident.