On 29 August 2005, H.E. Mr Vladimir Shkolnik, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Kazakhstan, visited the headquarters of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. Minister Shkolnik was accompanied by H.E. Mr Konstantin Zhigalov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Benelux countries.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, welcomed H.E. Mr Vladimir Shkolnik and provided an overview on the present status of the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), undertaken by its 173 States Parties.
Minister Shkolnik reaffirmed the Government of Kazakhstan’s firm resolve to support the full and universal implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and also its commitment to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
On behalf of the Organisation, Director-General Pfirter expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Government of Kazakhstan for its commitment to the CWC and the support it provides for OPCW activities relating to assistance and protection against the threat or use of chemical weapons.
Ambassador Pfirter referred to the on-going three-year Central Asian project, the goal of which is to enhance these Member States’ ability to protect their population should an attack with chemical weapons be threatened or should ever occur. This OPCW project is supported by Norway and Switzerland. Kazakhstan is one of the most active Member States in this project and they have hosted thus far three events: a National Protection course in August 2003 and two regional training courses in August 2004 and July 2005, respectively.
In their meeting, Minister Shkolnik and Director-General Pfirter also discussed the OPCW’s Action Plan on national implementation and concurred that OPCW Member States play an indispensable role in establishing the legal and administrative means to enforce the ban on chemical weapons at the national level. This task has grown in urgency due to the latent threat of chemical terrorism. H.E. Mr Vladimir Shkolnik assured OPCW Director-General Ambassador Pfirter that the Government of Kazakhstan is fully committed to implementing its Article VII obligations and is taking steps towards this end.
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