Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü of Turkey has taken up office as the new Director-General of the OPCW, becoming the third person to hold that office since the Organisation was established in 1997. He succeeds Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter of Argentina, who completed his second term as Director-General on 24 July 2010.
“I am extremely honoured to assume the leadership of this great Organisation, which in the short span of its existence has already distinguished itself as a successful example of effective multilateralism in action,” Director-General Üzümcü said. “I would like to pay tribute to Ambassador Pfirter and the Technical Secretariat for the essential role they have played in the OPCW’s achievements, and to the States Parties for the strong commitment they have demonstrated in implementing the Convention. I look forward to building on these historic achievements and working closely with all stakeholders to realise our collective goal of a world free of chemical weapons.”
Ambassador Üzümcü is a career diplomat with extensive multilateral experience in political-military affairs and in disarmament and proliferation issues. Prior to becoming the OPCW Director-General he served as Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Read Director-General Üzümcü’s biography
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PRESS RELEASE 2/2010 THE HAGUE, 29 JULY 2010