THE HAGUE, Netherlands — 18 July 2018 —The State Secretary for Foreign Policy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Mr Jonas Bering Liisberg, met with the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, during a visit yesterday to OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
The Director-General and the State Secretary discussed issues related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), concentrating on OPCW’s activities in Syria and efforts to counter the threat of non-State actor use of chemical weapons.
Ambassador Üzümcü expressed his appreciation for Denmark’s strong commitment to the international norm against chemical weapons. He further highlighted Denmark’s invaluable contribution to the OPCW-facilitated international effort to remove and verifiably destroy the Syrian Arab Republic’s declared chemical weapons as well as the removal of the remnants of Libya’s former chemical weapons programme.
“Denmark’s staunch commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention and its readiness to contribute to OPCW’s activities deserves the highest recognition; such contributions make our common goal of a world free of chemical weapons a viable enterprise,” stated the Director-General.
State Secretary Liisberg highlighted the importance of the CWC and expressed: “Denmark stands firmly behind the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW as essential elements in confronting today’s security challenges. There can be no impunity for the use of chemical weapons in Syria or elsewhere, and Denmark stands ready to support the OPCW in attributing responsibility as a means of prevention, now and in the future.”
Background
Denmark joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997 and is a current member of the OPCW’s Executive Council.
As the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, the OPCW oversees the global endeavour to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1997 – with its 193 States Parties – it is the most successful disarmament treaty eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction.
Over 96% of all chemical weapon stockpiles declared by possessor States have been destroyed under OPCW verification. For its extensive efforts in eliminating chemical weapons, the OPCW received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize.
