A delegation from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently visited the Blue Grass Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility (CWDF) in Kentucky after receiving an invitation from U.S. officials.
The visit comes in the wake of a deadly chemical weapons attack in the southern Idlib, Syria, which left more than 70 people dead and injured dozens more.
After touring the facility, the representatives received detailed briefings on plans to destroy the remaining U.S. chemical weapons stockpile by the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternative program, which oversees the Blue Grass facility.
Participants also had the opportunity to examine the status of the Blue Grass Chemical Agent – Destruction Pilot Plant and the Static Detonation Chamber, both of which are currently being built at the facility and will assist in destroying future chemical weapons stockpiles.
After visiting the facility, the delegates flew to Washington, D.C. to meet with officials from the State Department, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and the White House.
The OPCW delegation included its Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü and Chairperson of the Executive Council Odette Molono. The two officials were accompanied by representatives from Japan, Kenya, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European External Action Service.
OPCW serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention, a global disarmament treaty which aims to permanently eliminate chemical weapons. To date, approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles declared by possessor states have been destroyed under OPCW verification.