Minister for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini met today in The Hague with Director General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Uzumcu. The meeting centred on “the status of the process of eliminating Syrian chemical weapons, the only successful initiative undertaken in Syria, despite the difficulties being encountered both in the political dialogue that began in Geneva as well as in humanitarian aid efforts”, Minister Mogherini explained.
In Italy’s view, the minister continued, “the work that the OPCW is doing together with the international community is a fundamental contribution not only to the resolution of the conflict in Syria, but also to security in the Middle East and Mediterranean region, and to global security”.
“We will never invest enough in the destruction of weapons of extermination, in the prevention of their use, in processes of disarmament and non-proliferation and in making those materials secure. That is why we offered the port of Gioia Tauro for the transfer from the Danish ship to the US container vessel”, she underscored.
“The fact that both US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov are here today in The Hague to talk about how to end the crisis in Ukraine, and that both have met with the OPCW director to ensure their continued commitment to completing the destruction Syrian chemical weapons, is a significant sign of awareness of the common challenges to be met together with the highest sense of responsibility, and gives hope in the re-launch of constructive dialogue”, Mogherini added.
