The President of France, Mr François Hollande, visited the OPCW today and met jointly with Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü, with the Chair of the Conference of the States Parties, H.E. Dr Sa’ad Abdul Majeed Ibrahim Al-Ali, with the Chair of the Executive Council, H.E. Dr Olexandr Horin, and other senior OPCW officials.
President Hollande was accompanied by the French Minister of Economy and Finances, Mr Pierre Moscovici, by the Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Mr Thierry Repentín, and other officials.
In their meeting, President Hollande praised the OPCW for its achievements over the past 16 years, particularly in the field of chemical disarmament. Discussions were also held on the status of the OPCW-United Nations Joint Mission in Syria to remove and destroy the country’s chemical weapons arsenal, and President Hollande commended the OPCW on the progress that has been made in the mission to date. The Director-General expressed appreciation for the support of France to the work of the OPCW.
Following the meeting, President Hollande and Director-General Üzümcü unveiled a plaque commemorating the visit to the OPCW Headquarters.