H.E. Ambassador Vidmantas Purlys, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania to the OPCW, and H.E. Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—3 June 2022—Today the Government of the Republic of Lithuania announced a contribution of €30,000 to support the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Fund supports the Organisation’s efforts to fully eliminate the Syrian chemical weapons programme and to clarify facts related to the alleged use of chemical weapons, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the policy-making organs of the OPCW. Activities undertaken with support from the Fund include but are not limited to those of the Declarations Assessment Team (DAT), the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM), the Investigation and Identification Team, and inspections to the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC).
The voluntary contribution was formalised by H.E. Vidmantas Purlys, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the OPCW, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General, during a ceremony at the Organisation’s headquarters in The Hague.
Ambassador Purlys stated: “Lithuania strongly believes that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable under any circumstances. Perpetrators of the use of these deadly weapons must be brought to account. We appreciate important work carried out by the OPCW and the Technical Secretariat under the activities of the Trust Fund for Syria Missions in investigating the uses of chemical weapons and attributing responsibility for these actions.”
The OPCW Director-General expressed his appreciation for the contribution and noted: “Lithuania’s support of the OPCW and its efforts to eliminate the use and the threat of use of chemical weapons worldwide is commendable and unwavering. This contribution supports the Organisation’s work for our common vision of a world free of chemical weapons.”
Background
Lithuania has been an active member of the OPCW since 1998.
The Declaration Assessment Team (DAT) was established in 2014 to engage with the relevant Syrian authorities for them to resolve the identified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies in the Syrian declaration.
The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) was set up in the same year in response to persistent allegations of chemical weapon attacks in Syria, with the task to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic chemicals, reportedly chlorine, for hostile purposes.
The Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) began its work in 2019 and is responsible for identifying the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW, with its 193 Member States, oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997, it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 99% of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.