EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell welcomed the completion of the elimination of chemical weapons in the United States.
“The European Union welcomes the information that the United States achieved the complete destruction of its stockpile of chemical weapons on July 7. The elimination was completed before the scheduled September deadline in a safe and environmentally sound manner,” said a communiqué issued Saturday in Brussels.
Borrell thanked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and its team that verified the destruction on site for their professional work in this context.
According to the EU diplomatic chief, the completion of the destruction work marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention 25 years after its entry into force.
“The Convention is a key element of the international nonproliferation and disarmament architecture. The EU will continue to provide strong political and financial support for its implementation, with a particular focus on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons and fighting impunity for their use,” the document said.
Earlier it was announced that the process of elimination of declared arsenals of chemical weapons in a military warehouse in Kentucky had been completed in the United States. U.S. media reported that under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the U.S. had until September 30, 2023 to complete the process.
The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) entered into force on April 29, 1997.
