Western countries pretend not to develop agents like Novichok

Western countries that are members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) pretend that they do not have programs for developing nerve agents like Novichok, Russian Permanent Representative to OPCW, Ambassador to the Nethelands Alexander Shulgin told TASS on Friday.

"It looks like a conversation between deaf people. We are talking [about Western countries developing such nerve agents], and they pretend not to hear us," Shulgin said. "It is known that many Western countries worked on that, but our partners continue to pretend that they do not have anything, that they do not know anything, and that this is the first time they hear about something like that," Shulgin said.

"Time will come when truth comes out, and everybody will see who was truthful all along and who lied," he added.

On October 9, the European Union demanded that Russia immediately reports to OPCW on the Novichok program. Head of the Russian delegation, Minister of Industry and Trade Georgy Kalamanov told the 89th session of the OPCW Executive Committee that the West has information about nearly 100 substances associated with Novichok.