Czech Republic and Slovakia say they have nothing to do with Novichok agent

Czech and Slovak diplomats have announced their countries have nothing to do with the Novichok nerve agent that poisoned Russian former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, UK.

Czech Foreign Minister Martin Stropnitcky has stated in his Twitter account that Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova’s statement that Prague could be involved in making the agent was “unconfirmed.” According to him, one can see misinformation and dissemination of reports of “speculative nature.” Czech Defense Minister Karla Šlechtová announced in her Twitter account that since 1990s the country has been a member to the international treaty banning development, production and proliferation of chemical weapons and fully complied with its provisions.

Spokesman for the Slovak Foreign Ministry Peter Susko made a statement saying that Bratislava is not involved in using chemical weapons. He stressed that the country’s leadership condemned the attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

As EADaily reported earlier, former GRU secret service colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned on March 4. After that, without any grounds, British officials along with the authorities of the US and Germany accused Russia in being involved in the case. London insists the Skripals were poisoned by Novichok nerve agent. In this connection, Maria Zakharova on March 17 named several countries that can be a source of such agent. According to her, works on it were held in Great Britain, Slovakia, Czechia and Switzerland, the USA could be also engaged in it. Zakharova said these countries are to be seen as possible sources of the agent origin.