Switzerland keeps up pressure against chemical weapons

Switzerland says it will continue to push for the elimination of chemical weapons despite efforts by some countries to undermine the work of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Alpine state is one of 193 members of the Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that meets this week for its fifth review process. “Repeated use of chemical weapons, notably in Syria, and the current geopolitical situation pose major challenges for the conference,” the Swiss government stated on Monday. “Switzerland is committed to the scientific clarification of all uses of chemical weapons and seeks to strengthen the OPCW to send a strong message against such weapons.” Switzerland cited the use of chemical weapons in Syria since 2012 and the poisoning of Russians Sergei Skripal (2018) and Alexei Navalny in 2020, which have “created a highly polarised climate within the OPCW”. In January, Switzerland said it is critical to find out who was behind a...