PRESS RELEASE
Visit of a Delegation of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to Russia’s Pochep Chemical Weapons Destruction Plant, Bryansk Region
1168-02-09-2010
On September 7-8, a delegation of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will visit Russia’s Pochep chemical weapons destruction plant, Bryansk Region. The delegation, consisting of key members of the Organization as well as its Director General Ahmet Uzumcu, is headed by the chairman of the Executive Council, the permanent representative of France to the OPCW, Jean-Francois Blarel.
This is the second visit of the Executive Council’s delegation to Russian facilities for the destruction of chemical weapons. Such visits are regularly conducted to similar US facilities as well.
During its trip the delegation will thoroughly acquaint itself with the progress achieved in the destruction of chemical weapons.
Russia complies with its international obligations and continues destroying its stockpiles of chemical weapons uninterruptedly. New destruction facilities are being commissioned for this purpose. Among them is Pochep, in the construction of which Russia cooperated with Germany and Switzerland.
Although the world financial crisis has led to adjustment in the schedule of completion of the federal target program to destroy chemical weapons, the commitment of our country to fully destroy chemical weapons in the shortest possible time remains unchanged. As of September 1, Russia has destroyed 19.336 thousand tons or 48.4 percent of its stocks. This process will be completed in the coming years.
September 2, 2010
