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Russia calls on Syria to abide by its commitment to chemical weapons ban

24 July 2012 22:44 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russia expects the Syrian authorities to strictly honor its obligations under the international ban on chemical weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The ministry said in a statement that Russia has taken notice of the announcements by the Syrian Foreign Ministry about the country’s possible use of chemical weapons in case of foreign aggressions.

"In this connection, we would like to stress that in 1968 Syria joined and ratified the Geneva protocol of 1925, which prohibits the use of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases in war," the ministry said.

"Russia expects the Syrian authorities to continue adhering to their international obligations in the future," it added.

A spokesman of the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Monday that chemical or germ weapons, which are monitored and guarded by the Syrian army, will be used strictly in case of specific outside aggression.

The spokesman also stressed such weapons will never be used in any inner fight or against Syrian people amid the current crisis, "no matter how this crisis evolves."

After Syria’s announcements, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. President Barack Obama have expressed their concerns over Syria’s possible use of chemical weapons.