(AGENPARL) - Roma, 17 Giugno 2022 - (AGENPARL) – ven 17 giugno 2022 You are subscribed to Press Releases for U.S. Department of State. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
06/17/2022 02:22 PM EDT
Office of the Spokesperson
Under Secretary of State Bonnie Jenkins and Assistant Secretary of State Mallory Stewart met with Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Fernando Arias and thanked the Director-General for his outstanding leadership of the Organization. The Under Secretary and Assistant Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for the OPCW and the norm against the use of chemical weapons, and commended the independence, professionalism, and dedication of the OPCW Technical Secretariat staff. They also discussed the OPCW readiness to provide assistance and advice in case of chemical weapons use in Ukraine.
Leadership of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, senior officials at the Departments of Defense, and Commerce, and the National Security Council also met with Director Arias during his two-day visit. They discussed the future of the Organization in anticipation of the completion of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile destruction in 2023, how to counter disinformation about chemical weapons, as well as the timeline for the opening of the new OPCW ChemTech Centre whose expanded laboratory and training capabilities will help the OPCW adapt to rapid changes in the chemical weapons science and technology landscape.
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