Officials from the Hague
On September 22, a consultation devoted to the implementation of the Chemical Weapon Convention was held at the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs for representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Energy and Natural Resources, the National Security Service, the State Income Committee, the National Academy of Sciences and the Center for Non-Proliferation Affairs NGO, which are included in the RA national body of the Chemical Weapons Convention.
According to the MFA Department of Press, Information and Public Relations, the consultation was organized in collaboration with the executive secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and included speeches by three acting officials from Hungary.
In his opening speech, Head of the Department for Arms Control and International Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Samvel Mkrtchyan underlined the importance of unreserved implementation of the Convention to eradicate one of the types of weapons of mass destruction. He mentioned that since 1997, when the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force (Armenia signed and ratified the convention in 1993 and 1995 respectively), Armenia expressed commitment to fulfill the provisions stated in the Convention by providing necessary information, implementing corresponding legislative amendments and creating an inter-ministerial structure for control.
On the first day of the consultation, the representatives of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons presented reports devoted to the history of the organization, the status for implementing the Convention, as well as its goals and key provisions.
The consultation will continue on September 23. The representatives will touch upon issues concerning certification, as well as international cooperation and support programs.
