Russia insists on strengthening the United Nations Secretary General’s mechanism for investigations over the use of chemical and biological weapons, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Konstantin Vorontsov said on Wednesday.
“There is an urgent need to strengthen UN Secretary General’s mechanism (SGM) for investigation for alleged use of chemical and biological weapons,” Vorontsov said at a UN first committee meeting.
He reminded that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent a note to the UN chief Antonio Guterres in June calling for the organization of a review of the current SGM principles and procedures.
There is an urgent need to strengthen the UN Secretary General’s mechanism for investigating the alleged use of chemical and biological weapons
“An entire group of countries supported this idea, and many states submitted similar appeals to Antonio Guterres,” he added.
Vorontsov expressed hope that Guterres will immediately start the corresponding review. He also urged him to request the help of experts and use relevant proposals of member states.