OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü with the Australian Minister for Defence, Mr Stephen Smith
The Australian Minister for Defence, Mr Stephen Smith visited the OPCW Headquarters on 6 June 2011 and met the Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü.
Director-General Üzümcü briefed the Defence Minister on the status of the implementation of the CWC and the upcoming transition for the Organisation. He observed that the coming months will require the close engagement of all States Parties. He commended Australia for its consistent support for the work of the OPCW.
In the discussion, Defence Minister Smith emphasized that the goals of eliminating all chemical weapons and preventing their re-emergence made a vital contribution to global efforts aimed at enhancing global peace and security.
The Director-General and the Minister both stressed the importance of achieving universality of the Convention and improving domestic implementation of its provisions globally.
Minister Smith reaffirmed Australia’s firm commitment to the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and assured the Director-General of his Government’s continued strong support for the work of the OPCW in implementing a sustainable global ban on chemical weapons.