The Hague, 5 November 1997

Russian Federation Ratifies Chemical Weapons Convention

On 5 November 1997, the Government of the Russian Federation deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (Convention or CWC) with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. All five Permanent Members of the United Nations Security Council are now within the fold of the Convention regime. It means that the largest declared possessors of chemical weapons, the United States and the Russian Federation, are bound by its provisions, including in relation to the declaration and destruction of existing stockpiles and production facilities. In accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article XXI, the Convention will enter into force for the Russian Federation on 5 December 1997, 30 days after the date of deposit its instrument of ratification. This will ensure that the Russian Federation will be in a position to participate as a State Party on the last day of the Second Session of the Conference of the States Parties, which will be held from 1-5 December in The Hague.

The total number of instruments of ratification or accession which have been deposited has now reached 104. The number of States which have signed the Convention, but which have yet to deposit an instrument of ratification, is sixty-four. The following 103 States, in alphabetical order, have already deposited their instruments of ratification or accession: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which is responsible for supervising the implementation of the CWC, was established in The Hague when the Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997. The verification provisions of the Convention consist of a combination of detailed declaration requirements and routine inspections of declared chemical weapons and chemical industry facilities, as well as of short notice challenge inspections at any place under the jurisdiction or control of any State Party.