Director-General Visits Azerbaijan for High Level Meetings

The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited Baku on 25 and 26 April 2013 where he had meetings with senior Government officials of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 

The Director-General met with the First Deputy Prime Minister, HE Mr Yagub Eyyubov;  the Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Mr Elmar Mammadyarov; and HE Mr Faik Tagizade, Deputy Minister of Emergency Situations. He also met with HE Mr Muhtar Babayev, Deputy Chairman of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and Chairman of the AZERKIMYA Production Company.

In these meetings, the Director-General updated the officials on the global implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), including progress in destroying chemical weapons stockpiles, and underlined the importance of achieving universality of the Convention. He also discussed global security developments and the main outcomes of the Third Review Conference, which concluded on 19 April. The Director-General commended Azerbaijan for its firm commitment to the goal of the CWC and support to the work of the OPCW. He was assured of Azerbaijan’s continuing support for the organisation. 

While in Baku the Director-General attended the closing ceremony of an OPCW Regional Training Course for Customs Authorities in Eastern Europe, and visited HE Ambassador Hafiz Pasayev, Deputy Foreign Minister and Rector, at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy.