Mr. President,

I thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her briefing.

Today’s meeting is one which none of us could have imagined eleven years ago.

The OPCW Director General has submitted his 100th report on the Syrian chemical file.

Moreover, it has been 100 months since the OPCW confirmed that the Assad regime fails to provide information regarding the true scope of its chemical weapons programme.

The outstanding issues in relation to the Syrian regime’s initial declaration persist.

How long will it take the Security Council to unify, and respond to this brazen violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention?

How many more milestones should pass before the Council members urge the regime to comply with its obligations?

The inertia in the Council is of utmost concern. This unacceptable passivity only emboldens the violators of international law.

While the world waits for this Council to act, the scientific evidence keeps piling up.

We have taken note of the two latest reports of the Fact Finding Mission (FFM) which confirmed the use of chemicals as weapons in Marea, on September 1st, 2015 and in Kafr Zeita on October 1st 2016.

We also look forward to the conclusion of the ongoing investigations by the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which is mandated to establish responsibility in the chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

However, we are most concerned that the regime continues to refuse visas to the IIT experts, thus deliberately hindering their ability to discharge their mandated activities.

According to Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), the Syrian regime has the obligation to provide immediate and unfettered access to personnel designated by the OPCW.

The Security Council must be united to enforce resolution 2118.

Mr. President,

The use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, and under any circumstances is prohibited by international law and constitutes a violation of the 1925 Geneva Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and Security Council resolutions.

Türkiye strongly condemns the repeated use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime against its own people, which amounts to crimes against humanity.

As of now, the regime has been found responsible for using chemical weapons on at least eight occasions.

The OPCW and its investigative bodies play a crucial role in unearthing the truth about those gruesome attacks.

We commend the independence, professionalism and impartiality of the OPCW Technical Secretariat and caution against futile attempts to discredit it.

Mr. President,

The 25th anniversary of the OPCW serves as a sobering reminder of the need to protect the universal norm prohibiting the use of chemical weapons.

And to protect innocent civilians.

Türkiye is proud to be one of the member states to have joined the OPCW in 1997.

We will continue to actively participate in efforts to uphold the Chemical Weapons Convention.

It is critical that we take urgent action towards accountability in the face of the regime’s brazen violations of this fundamental legal document.

We once again highlight the special responsibility of the Security Council in this regard.

Mr. President,

It is imperative that we take steps to end impunity in order to achieve lasting peace in Syria.

The people of Syria deserve so much more. But we should be able to uphold accountability - at the very least.

Thank you.