Russian Federation Begins Chemical Weapons Destruction at New Site in Kambarka

On 1 March 2006, the Russian Federation officially commenced chemical weapons destruction operations at the chemical weapons destruction facility located at Kambarka in the Udmurt Republic.

The President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Mr Vladimir Putin, congratulated all the contributors to the project on the complex construction’s completion within a short period of time, representing a significant step towards the full realisation of the Russian Federation’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. President Putin expressed his confidence that the Kambarka facility would contribute towards the achievement of the important goal of chemical disarmament.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) implements the Chemical Weapons Convention. Under the Convention, all chemical weapons and their production capacity are to be completely eliminated within a stipulated timeframe and under international monitoring.

OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, welcomed the commencement of destruction operations. Director-General Pfirter commended the cooperation between OPCW Member States that had speeded progress in Kambarka. The OPCW Member States Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as the European Union, provided financial and technical support for the construction and operationalisation of the facility. The Director-General stressed the importance of the new facility as it will assist Russia in completing the destruction of its declared chemical weapons stockpiles in conformity with the timelines established by the Chemical Weapons Convention.

During the destruction process, OPCW inspectors will maintain a twenty-four hour presence at the facility to ensure that all chemical weapons at the site are irreversibly destroyed.

The facility in Kambarka is the second chemical weapons destruction facility to have begun operation under the auspices of the Russian Federation’s Federal Programme to destroy its total declared stockpile of 40,000 metric tons of chemical warfare agents, as foreseen by the Chemical Weapons Convention. The Russian Federation has reported that it intends to destroy 6,360 metric tons of Lewisite, an arsenic-based blistering agent, at Kambarka.

PR12 / 2006

Categories: Disarmament, Eastern Europe