OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü (center) with Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Ignacio Ybáñez (right), and Secretary-General of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises at the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Ms Begoña Cristeto.
The Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, visited Madrid from 21 to 22 January 2015 at the invitation of the Spanish Government.
During his visit, the Director-General met the with the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Ignacio Ybáñez, and Secretary-General of Industry and Small and Medium Enterprises at the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Ms Begoña Cristeto.
Discussions focused on avenues of cooperation between Spain and the OPCW as well as progress towards the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons, with Spain expressing its full support for the OPCW’s activities. Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü welcomed Spain’s commitment to effective implementation of the CWC.
The Director-General also participated in a round-table discussion hosted by FEIQUE (Federación Empresarial de la Industria Química) focussing on ways of fostering responsible uses of chemistry and enhancing monitoring of production and trade in scheduled chemicals.
The Director-General delivered a speech [PDF – 50 KB] on chemical disarmament and the OPCW’s mission in Syria at the Complutense University of Madrid, and visited Spain’s verification laboratory LAVEMA.