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On Friday, NATO called for an international investigation into the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny. And he demanded that Moscow reveal to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons its “Novichok” nerve gas program.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed, after an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council, that all countries agree to condemn the “gruesome” attack on Navalny.
Germany, where Navalny is being treated, informed the remaining 29 member states about the case, while Stoltenberg indicated that there was “unquestionable evidence” that Novichuk was used against the opponent.
“The Russian government should cooperate fully with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in an impartial international investigation,” Stoltenberg said.
He added: “We also ask Russia to fully disclose the Novichok program of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.”
And it used nerve gas developed during the Soviet era against former Russian double agent Sergey Skripal and his daughter in England two years ago, in an attack that resulted in the expulsion of seven Russian diplomats from their NATO mission.
While Stoltenberg did not rule out a similar response this time around, he stressed that the Navalny poisoning, which took place in Russia, was very different from the attack on Skripal, which took place on the territory of a member country.
He said: “We strongly believe that this is a flagrant violation of international law and therefore requires an international response, but I will not speculate now on the exact nature of the international response.”
The European Union and other international powers have also called for an investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, amid doubts that Russia will properly investigate the Navalny poisoning case.
In fact, the Kremlin insisted that the Russian state should not be held responsible for what happened to Navalny, while a Russian toxicologist indicated that the opponent’s health may have deteriorated due to his diet or exposure to psychological pressure.
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