The President listened to a report
via videoconference on the destruction of Russia’s last remaining
chemical weapons.
September 27, 2017
15:20
Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region
Mikhail Babich,
Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Volga Federal District
and Chairman of the State Commission for Chemical
Disarmament, reported to President Vladimir Putin
on the completion of chemical disarmament ahead
of schedule.
Also in attendance at the videoconference
were Denis
Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade, Valery Kapashin, Head
of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Federal Directorate
for Safe Storage and Disposal of Chemical Weapons,
and Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Director-General of the Technical
Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir
Putin: Colleagues, good afternoon.
We are witnessing an important, you could even
say historic, event because the last chemical ammunition from Russia’s
chemical weapons arsenal will be destroyed today.
Without exaggeration, we can say that this is
a historic event considering the massive amount of chemical
weapons inherited from the Soviet Union – an amount that,
experts believe, would be enough to destroy every living creature
on the planet several times. This is a huge step towards greater
balance and security in the modern world.
Today’s event means our country will fulfill
the main international obligation under the Chemical Weapons
Convention, which is to completely eliminate its chemical weapons. Russia
was one of the first to sign this treaty and has worked
closely with its partners to relieve humankind of the threat
of the use and proliferation of such barbaric, lethal
weapons. On a related note, I would like to remind you
of Russia’s key role in resolving the chemical weapons issue
in Syria.
We can say that this is a historic event considering
the massive amount of chemical weapons inherited from the Soviet
Union. This is a huge step towards greater balance and security
in the modern world.
Implementation of the Russian programme
got underway back in the 1990s when our country was experiencing
serious economic difficulties. In the early 2000s we found
the resources to step up implementation. A truly enormous amount
of work has been done over the course of 20 years. Modern
high-tech enterprises were established and domestic technology developed
to ensure that the chemical weapons were destroyed safely,
in line with the toughest environmental standards
and requirements.
It is important to make effective use
of this experience and built facilities to develop
the production of high-tech civilian products. Minister
of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov is here today
and I would like to ask him to report separately
on what is planned to do in this regard. We have repeatedly
discussed this issue at different meetings.
Colleagues, I would like to emphasise once
again: Russia is strictly fulfilling its international commitments, including
its obligations on disarmament and non-proliferation
of the weapons of mass destruction. We are well aware
of the potential dangers and risks associated with the resumption
of the arms race and attempts to upset strategic parity. We
are always open to meaningful dialogue on enhancing global security
and strengthening confidence-building measures.
We expect that Russia’s efforts to eliminate
chemical weapons will serve as an example to other countries
as well. As is known, the largest chemical weapons arsenals
belonged to Russia and still belongs to the United States
that, regrettably, does not abide by its commitments on deadlines
for chemical arms destruction. The deadlines for their
elimination have been postponed three times, including supposedly due
to a shortage of necessary budget funds, which sounds strange,
to be honest, but let it be. We expect the United States
and other countries to fulfil their commitments under international
agreements.
Russia is strictly fulfilling its international
commitments, including its obligations on disarmament
and non-proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction.
We are always open to meaningful dialogue on enhancing global security.
