The United States has destroyed the last declared chemical munition in the world, at the moment all the declared stockpiles of chemical weapons in the world have been eliminated, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.
“I congratulate all participating States, and in this case the United States of America, on this major achievement for the international community. The completion of the destruction of all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons is a major milestone for the organization. This is an important step towards fulfilling its mission to permanently eliminate all chemical weapons,” said OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias.
The OPCW noted that since the entry into force of the convention, more than 72 thousand metric tons of chemical weapons have been destroyed in the world.
The last munition was destroyed on July 7 at the Blue Grass Chemical Destruction Pilot Plant in Kentucky. US President Joe Biden said the move brought people “toward a world free of the horrors of chemical weapons,” but work in this area should continue. He called on countries that have not yet acceded to the CWC to do so.
In addition, Biden stated the need for some states to “recognize their undeclared programs” on chemical weapons. In particular, he mentioned Russia and Syria. Moscow denied the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army during the hostilities in the country, and also ruled out its use in Ukraine. Russia officially destroyed the remnants of its chemical weapons in 2017.
Source: Rosbalt
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