OPCW Director-General delivers keynote address at the international symposium on toxic substances in Singapore

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü recently paid an official visit to Singapore, where he gave the keynote address at the Singapore International Symposium on Protection Against Toxic Substances.

In his address, Üzümcü touched on key OPCW topics, including achievements in disarmament, verification, cooperation amongst international partners, and assistance in carrying out provisions of the chemical weapons convention. Üzümcü also brought up the organization’s plans for the coming year.

The director-general then discussed the threat of chemical terrorism and stressed the need to continue working for weapons disarmament. He brought attention to the recent use of chemical weapon VX, which was used in the assassination of Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia.

In addition to his address, the director-general also visited Singapore’s Protective, Analytical, and Assessment Facility, which serves as the nation’s most-advanced center for the detection of various chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) threats.

Üzümcü held meetings with Albert Chua, Singapore’s Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Ho Chee Pong, Director-General for Customs; Quek Gim Pew, Chief Defense Scientist for Singapore’s Ministry of Defense; and Col. Shinji Iwakuma, deputy commander of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, along with other key officials.

Entered into force in 1997, the chemical weapons convention represents the most-successful disarmament treaty in eliminating an entire class of weapons of mass destruction. Approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons declared by possessor states have been destroyed under OPCW verification.