Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has stated that some countries have been turning blind’s eye to facts of production and use of chemical weapons in Syria, Iraq.

The minister went on saying that militants in the Middle East had learned how to make chemical weapons, thus the risk of the chemical terrorism spreading outside the region.

“The growing threat of ‘chemical’ terrorism in the Middle East, in particular, Iraq and Syria, is a serious concern. Militants not only use toxic chemicals, but also have their own technologies and production capabilities for the manufacture of full-fledged chemical warfare agents, have established multiple channels of access to their precursors,” Lavrov said at a UN Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Lavrov stated that Russia considers the extension of the moratorium on any nuclear explosions, along with the completion of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) ratification the issues of utmost importance.

“The situation around the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty is an important issue. Being a committed supporter of this treaty, we urge all the countries which have the influence on its enforcement to complete its signing and ratification, as it has been repeatedly promised by some countries… It is also extremely important to ensure the extension of the moratorium on any nuclear explosions,” Lavrov said at a UN Security Council session.

The minister went on by saying that some Western countries were turning a blind eye to the facts of the chemical weapons use by terrorists, choosing to blame Damascus instead.

Source: Sputnik