Director-General Visits Sweden, Meets Prime Minister

During a two-day visit to Sweden that concluded today, Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü had separate meetings with the Prime Minister, Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt, and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Carl Bildt.  

The Director-General provided the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister with an update on the work of the OPCW-UN Joint Mission in Syria, including the detailed plan for the removal and destruction of Syrian chemicals.

In a joint press conference with Mr Bildt, the Director-General expressed his “high appreciation for the contribution by the Swedish authorities to disarmament efforts, including to the OPCW.” Mr Bildt noted that the OPCW’s Nobel Peace Prize this year was a “well deserved award.”

During his visit, the Director-General also met with Mr Per Westerberg, Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, and participated in a panel discussion on chemical disarmament, with Foreign Minister Bildt and Dr Paul Walker of Green Cross International. He commended Sweden’s support for efforts to broaden the reach of the Chemical Weapons Convention through engagement with science, industry, and NGOs.     

The Director-General completed his visit today after delivering a lecture at Gothenburg University, “Making Chemical Disarmament a Reality.”