Moscow demands Berlin provide all info on Navalny case within 10 days - Russian mission to OPCW
MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax) - The Russian Permanent Representation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has forwarded a note to the German mission to the OPCW to demand that it provide all relevant information on the case of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny within ten days.
"On September 23, the Russian Federation's Permanent Representation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons sent a note to the Federal Republic of Germany's Permanent Representation to the OPCW to demand that the German side hand over exhaustive information on the so-called Navalny case, particularly 'the results of analyses, biomaterials, and other clinical samples' of the Russian citizen that the federal government possesses," the representation said in a statement on Thursday.
This request has been filed in line with Clause 2 of Article IX of the Chemical Weapons Convention, under which Germany is supposed to provide a response within ten days, the statement said.
"Simultaneously, Russian Permanent Representative to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin has forwarded a letter to OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias to notify him that we have invoked the aforementioned convention mechanism and forwarded the relevant note to the Federal Republic of Germany's Permanent Representation," it said.
Russia has also proposed that the director-general inform all State Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention of this fact, the statement said.
Depending on Germany's response, "we will decide on further steps, making use of the opportunities laid out in the convention," it said.
"We also expect all OPCW members, primarily Germany, France, and Sweden, to unconditionally honor their obligations on the provision of legal assistance in compliance with Clause 2 of Article VII of the Chemical Weapons Convention," the statement said.