Minister of Justice of the Syrian Arab Republic, H.E. Dr Mazhar Al-Wais, and the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—20 May 2026—The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with the Minister of Justice of the Syrian Arab Republic, H.E. Dr Mazhar Al-Wais, on 7 May 2026 at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague.
The Minister of Justice and the Director-General exchanged views specifically on the Syrian chemical weapons programme left behind by the Assad regime. Both sides reaffirmed the urgency of addressing this dossier, and the importance of achieving a world free of chemical weapons. They agreed to continue strengthening cooperation towards these ends.
Minister Al-Wais stated: “Throughout twelve years during which chemical weapons were used against the Syrian people, the OPCW acted in a professional, balanced, and victim-centred manner. It contributed to delivering justice to victims by establishing and documenting the truth, attributing responsibility to those involved, and taking measures aimed at preventing recurrence.”
Minister Al-Wais further stated: “The new Syria has become an active and constructive member of the Organisation, working diligently to strengthen cooperation with the OPCW and its Member States in order to overcome the legacy of that dark chapter, identify and destroy the remnants of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme, support the global non-proliferation regime, and ensure justice for victims through national accountability processes and the preservation of truth. ”
The Director-General said: “The task of eliminating the Syrian chemical weapons programme and its remnants rests at the very core of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Currently, we are working with the Syrian Government on the comprehensive identification, declaration and destruction of all components of the Syrian chemical weapons programme.”
Director-General Arias emphasised: “Establishing a full inventory of the components of the Assad chemical weapons program will be a difficult task. With the financial and political support of States Parties as well as the expertise of OPCW specialists, the Technical Secretariat stands ready, in line with its mandate, to further support the new Syrian authorities in fulfilling the Syrian Arab Republic’s obligations under the Convention.”
The Director-General also outlined the OPCW’s capacity-building efforts for its Member States. He emphasised that the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) plays a vital role in enhancing the Organisation’s capabilities and enabling it to better serve the needs of Member States.
Background
Syria acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2013 under a stringent verification regime. While Syria submitted an initial declaration of its chemical weapons (CW) programme, the former Syrian government did not declare all its CW programme and attempted – unsuccessfully – to mislead the international community about the overall scope and scale of the Syrian chemical weapons programme. Furthermore, the Technical Secretariat documented and independently confirmed chemical weapons use in Syria both by the former Syrian military forces and by non-state actors, specifically ISIS/ISIL.
The fall of the Assad government in December 2024 created an opportunity to uncover the full scope of Syria’s chemical weapons programme and to eliminate it in line with the CWC. In February 2025, the OPCW Director-General visited Syria and held separate meetings with the Syrian President and Foreign Minister. They expressed Syria’s recognition of all OPCW mandates, including the identification of perpetrators of chemical weapons use in Syria and reaffirmed Syria’s full commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the CWC. In March 2025, the Syrian Foreign Minister visited the OPCW and addressed the Executive Council, where he renewed Syria’s commitment to the Convention.
Since the visit by the Director-General to Damascus in February 2025, the OPCW Technical Secretariat deployed several times to Syria, involving visits to suspected locations, sampling, interviews, collection of documents related to Syria’s chemical weapons programme, and coordination.
Since November 2025, OPCW has re-established a continuous presence in Syria to facilitate upcoming inventory, destruction and verification-related activities. The work related to the Syrian chemical weapons dossier – verification of declarations and investigation of use of toxic chemicals as weapons – is now coordinated by the OPCW Office of Special Missions.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
In 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.