OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü (left) and HE Mr Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the First Vice President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers. Source: Granma.com.cu and Cubadebate.cu.
The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited Havana on 20 and 21 October 2014 where he was received by HE Mr Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the First Vice President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers. The Director-General also met with HE Ms Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment; with HE Lenin Echevarría Quintana, acting Minister of Industry; and with H.E. Abelardo Moreno, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs.
The Director-General provided the officials an overview of the global implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the role of science and technology in these efforts. He commended Cuba for its commitment to the Convention and for its support to the work of the OPCW, and was assured of Cuba’s continued commitment and support.
During his visit the Director-General delivered a keynote address at the University of Havana, and opened the first regional course on Medical Aspects of Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons to be organised in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Director-General’s keynote address [PDF – 36 KB] at the University of Havana, delivered in the historic Aula Magna auditorium, was on the theme of “Science in the service of humanity: The OPCW and Global Chemical Disarmament” and emphasised the need to develop the highest ethical standards in young scientists at the outset of their careers.
In his opening speech [PDF – 17 KB] to the regional course on Medical Aspects of Assistance and Protection against Chemical Weapons, the Director-General lauded Latin America and the Caribbean as a region that “has been at the forefront of disarmament and non-proliferation efforts” for many years, including a number of initiatives to strengthen the Chemical Weapons Convention.
While in Havana the Director-General also visited the National Centre for Toxicology (CENATOX) and the Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB).