Mr. President,

We thank you for organizing this meeting after an interval of two months.

We believe that the Security Council should continue its active engagement and periodic
review of this critical file.

We also thank High Representative Nakamitsu for her briefing.

The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable under any circumstances.

Yet, in Syria, this grave violation of international law has been committed repeatedly, causing some of the worst destruction and suffering of the 13-year conflict.

The use of chemical weapons anywhere constitutes a threat to international peace and security.

There is also a real danger of chemical weapons falling into the hands of non-state actors; or terrorist organizations developing the capacity to produce chemical agents.

Therefore, it is a collective responsibility of the international community, and of this Council, to take effective measures to prevent chemical weapons use and ensure accountability when they occur.

Unity in the Council is essential in this regard.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, Türkiye has supported the UN and OPCW efforts to identify and hold to account the perpetrators of chemical weapons use.

We will continue to provide necessary and appropriate contributions towards this end.

As we have heard from High Representative Nakamitsu, the OPCW Director General’s recent monthly reports communicate that in addition to the 17 outstanding issues previously reported by the Declaration Assessment Team, serious concerns remain regarding the presence of unexpected chemicals in the samples collected by the DAT between 2020 and 2023 at several declared sites in Syria.

Due to the remaining gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies, the declaration submitted by the Syrian regime still cannot be considered accurate and complete by the OPCW Technical Secretariat.

We thank the OPCW Technical Secretariat for its committed efforts to clarify all outstanding issues.

We call on the Syrian regime to comply with its obligations and to fully cooperate with the OPCW in accordance with Chemical Weapons Convention and the Security Council Resolution 2118 (2013).

Mr. President,

In the context of chemical weapons use, fighting impunity is not only a responsibility towards the victims but also a requirement to deter and prevent the repetition of such heinous acts.

Therefore, it is imperative that all perpetrators of chemical weapons use are identified and held accountable.

I thank you