United Nations, August 5

The international community cannot afford to ignore terrorist activities in Syria and the region, India has said as it voiced concern over frequent reports of a resurgence of militant groups in the area and the possibility of them gaining access to chemical weapons.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador TS Tirumurti's remarks came as he was speaking in his national capacity at the UNSC briefing on Syria (Chemical Weapons).

“Since we joined the Council in January this year, India has been repeatedly cautioning against the possibility of terrorist entities and individuals gaining access to chemical weapons,"  Tirumurti said on Wednesday.

"We are concerned at the frequent reports of a resurgence of terrorist groups in the region,” he said.

Tirumurti, also the President of UN Security Council for the month of August, said “as we have learnt from the consequences of complacency against terrorism in the past, the international community cannot afford to ignore terrorist activities in Syria and the region”.

Tirumurti asserted that India is against the use of chemical weapons by anybody, anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances.

He said India had consistently maintained that any investigation into the use of chemical weapons must be impartial, credible and objective, following scrupulously the provisions and procedure embedded in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and in conformity with the delicate balance of power and responsibility enshrined under it to establish facts and reach evidence-based conclusions.

He said India encourages the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to strictly adhere to these parameters.

He said India views the Chemical Weapons Convention as a unique, non-discriminatory disarmament instrument that serves as a model for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.

“We attach high importance to the CWC and stand for its full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation. We support collective efforts by all to ensure that the credibility and integrity of this Convention is maintained to the fullest,” Tirumurti added. PTI