India against use of chemical weapons: MEA

Amid spiralling tensions between Russia and the UK following a chemical attack on double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, India today said it is against the use of chemical weapons and the issue should be resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

There are reports that the UK is keen on raising the issue at the Commonwealth Heads of the Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in London next week.

When Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar was asked about the telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday, he said he did not have information on what the two leaders talked about.

However, he said, "India is against the use of chemical weapons anywhere, at any time, by anybody, under any circumstances. We hope that this issue is resolved in accordance with the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) so as to reach evidence-based conclusions. India, as all other countries, awaits the outcome of the investigation."