A Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said:
The Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab spoke with German Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas yesterday, to discuss the response to the poisoning of Alexey Navalny.
The Foreign Secretary and Maas agreed that any use of Novichok was a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and therefore a matter of international concern. They agreed to work together closely, including in the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to ensure Russia was held accountable for its international obligations. The Foreign Secretary made clear that Britain would stand shoulder to shoulder with Germany on the issue.
The Foreign Secretary and Maas also discussed the situation in Belarus, including the role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in investigating the rigged election and human rights abuses, and the importance of sanctions in bringing international pressure to bear on the Lukashenko regime.
Published 4 September 2020
