India has fulfilled obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention: Kurien

India has fulfilled all its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, including destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles in advance of the timeline agreed under the Convention, said Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien on Tuesday, while intervening during a discussion on banning the use and destruction of chemical weapons at the 129th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) here.

Kurien said that India is one of the signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Indian Parliament enacted the Chemical Weapons Convention Act , which came into force in July 2005.

He further revealed that the Indian Parliament continues to exercise the necessary oversight on effective implementation of India's international obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"The use of chemical weapons, whosoever may have deployed, must be condemned in the strongest terms," Prof. P.J. Kurien further said, adding that the recent use of chemical weapons in Syria necessitates strengthening of restraints on use of weapons of mass destruction by the international community.

Particular care has to be taken to prevent the access of these weapons to non-State actors and terrorists, he said.

He further said that India welcomes the framework agreement between Russia and the U.S. on the time-bound safeguarding and destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles.

India also welcomes the recent steps taken by Syria to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

He exhorted all governments to appreciate the urgent need to sign and ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"Governments should take steps to place a ban on the use of chemical weapons and ensure the complete and speedy destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons in the interest of sustainable peace and progress of mankind," he said.