For the first time, Russia was not accepted into the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

For the first time in history, Russia was not elected to the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

This was reported by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the same time, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine were chosen for the period from 2024 to 2026.

"Ukraine will actively contribute to the strengthening of the OPCW. I am grateful to all the countries that approved our candidacies and did not support the election of Russia. In less than a month, for the first time in history, Russia failed three votes in important international bodies. This is the logical result of the terrorist stateʼs actions: its role in international relations is declining, and isolation is increasing," the president added.

• The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is the executive body of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. It entered into force in 1997. OPCW works to achieve a peace free of chemical weapons. It includes more than 190 countries, and the executive board consists of 41 countries, which are elected by the Conference of the participating states and change every two years. The principle of fair geographical distribution, the importance of the chemical industry, political interests and security interests are taken into account for the selection. The current composition of the council, which also includes Russia, is valid until May.
• This month, for the first time in history, Russia was not elected to the UN International Court of Justice.