H.E. Mr Ararat Mirzoyan, Foreign Minister of Armenia, and Ambassador Fernando Arias, Director-General of the OPCW
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—14 February 2023—The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, welcomed Armenia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Ararat Mirzoyan, at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague on 8 February 2024.
During their bilateral meeting, the Director-General and the Minister discussed contemporary issues in disarmament and non-proliferation and their impact on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The Director-General briefed the Minister on ongoing efforts of the Organisation to uphold the norm against chemical weapons, including preventing their re-emergence. Director-General Arias stressed the important role of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) in strengthening the Organisation’s capabilities to respond to emerging threats related to the implementation of the Convention. He also underlined risks and opportunities arising from rapid advances in science and technology such as artificial intelligence. In this sense the Director-General commented that the Secretariat continues to analyse the situation and will keep Member States informed.
The Minister highlighted: “I reiterate Armenia’s steadfast support for the collective endeavours of the international community in freeing the world from chemical weapons. This commitment is underscored by the unwavering implementation of the provisions outlined in the Chemical Weapons Convention. The task ahead involves ensuring that the OPCW remains adaptable and relevant in the face of evolving realities and needs that State Parties might have, including in the context of ongoing conflicts and aggressions.”
The Minister also briefed the Director-General on various legislative reforms that have been established in Armenia to strengthen the Convention’s implementation.
The Director-General stated: “The OPCW commends Armenia for its efforts to uphold the norm against chemical weapons through strengthening its implementation of the Convention. We thank Armenia for its support to the work of the Organisation on preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.
Background
Armenia signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993, ratifying it in 1995 and has been an active member since the entry of the Convention into force.
The ChemTech Centre, which was inaugurated on 12 May 2023, enhances the OPCW’s ability to conduct chemical research and analysis. This significantly reinforces the Organisation’s verification regime and inspection capabilities of chemical industries around the world. In addition, an increasing number of capacity building activities are being delivered through the Centre, including chemical emergency response trainings and analytical skills development courses for experts from Member States.
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.
On 7 July 2023, the OPCW verified that all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by the 193 States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention since 1997 — totalling 72,304 metric tonnes of chemical agents — have been irreversibly destroyed under the OPCW’s strict verification regime.
For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.