The Netherlands and the United Kingdom to Assist in the destruction of Chemical Weapons in the Russian Federation

The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will provide to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland a grant of 1.5 million Euros to assist in bringing the chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye in the Russian Federation into operation at an early date.

On 8 December, 2004, Mr Maurits Jochems, Director of Security Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; and Ms Jane Darby, Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy, The Hague, signed on behalf of their Governments a Memorandum of Understanding which then immediately entered into force.

Under the auspices of the 2001 Agreement, reached between the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation on the provision of assistance in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) extended by the United Kingdom to the Russian Federation, the Netherlands is providing such assistance in co-operation with the United Kingdom. The grant provided by the Netherlands supports the aims and objectives of the CWC, which foresees the complete destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles by no later than 29 April 2012.

The Memorandum of Understanding underscores the common interest of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to assist the Government of the Russian Federation in meeting its obligations under the CWC. This assistance is also granted in support of the non-proliferation objectives of the G8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and in reaffirmation of the European Union's Strategy Against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The funds granted by the Netherlands will support equipment purchases and infrastructure construction at the chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye in the Russian Federation.

67/2004

Categories: Disarmament, Eastern Europe