H.E. Mr Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General, during a visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia to OPCW Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 04 February 2025.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—6 February 2025— The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias, met with Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr Margus Tsahkna, on 4 February 2025 at the OPCW’s Headquarters in The Hague.
During the meeting, Minister Tsahkna and Director-General Arias discussed challenges, opportunities, and pathways for strengthening the global norm against chemical weapons amid an evolving international security climate, particularly in Syria. Director-General Arias underscored that the changing political landscape in Syria could present an opportunity for the OPCW to complete the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme: a long-standing objective, which could not be achieved for more than a decade due to obstruction and lack of cooperation by the former Syrian authority.
Director-General Arias also briefed Minister Tsahkna on OPCW’s activities in Ukraine, including the findings of a report on an OPCW Technical Assistance Visit to Ukraine issued in November last year. In this regard, he re-affirmed the Technical Secretariat’s readiness and commitment to continue assisting all Member States through independent expertise.
H.E. Mr Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia (middle left), and Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General (middle right), with their delegations during a visit by the Minister to OPCW Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 04 February 2025.
“Estonia fully supports the OPCW in upholding the norms of the Chemical Weapons Convention, including in conducting conclusive investigations to attribute chemical weapons attacks against Ukraine, and bringing an end to the Syrian chemical weapons programme,” said Minister Tsahkna.
“The goal is to achieve the complete and irreversible elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme as well as to support accountability for the former Syrian government and any other identified perpetrators,” said Director-General Arias. “OPCW and its Technical Secretariat stand ready to support the caretaker government in achieving the long-term compliance with the Convention.”
Director-General Arias gave an overview of the Organisation’s ongoing efforts to prevent chemical weapons re-emergence and highlighted the role of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (ChemTech Centre) in this regard.
“The ChemTech Centre enhances our ability to address both current and emerging challenges, ensuring the OPCW remains at the forefront of developments in science and technology,” Director-General Arias noted.
Ambassador Fernando Arias, OPCW Director-General, and H.E. Mr Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, during a visit to OPCW Headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands, on 04 February 2025.
“We are observing accelerating progress in emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, which could have a significant impact on chemical disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. The Technical Secretariat is proactively looking into ways to harness these technologies to enhance the Convention’s implementation, while addressing potential risks,” he highlighted.
Discussions also touched upon the Organisation’s efforts to promote universality of the Convention by encouraging all States not yet Party to the CWC to join the global chemical disarmament regime.
Background
Estonia has been an active member of the OPCW since 1999.
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.
In 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.