Chemical Weapons Convention Workshop starts in RACVIAC

The workshop “Chemical Weapons Convention” kicks off in RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation on 20 February 2024.

Workshops focusing on the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) have been organized annually since 2004 thanks to RACVIAC cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The 2024 Workshop is a continuation of fruitful cooperation between RACVIAC and the OPCW in promoting the implementation of the CWC in South-Eastern Europe, which directly helps enhance regional stability, transparency and trust.

Chemical safety and security, as well as counter chemical terrorism measures are the essential first steps to prevent accidental or malicious use of these materials. In 2024 focus will be put on the issue of Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response.

The Workshop was opened with the welcome addresses given by Mr Anton Martinyuk, OPCW representative and RACVIAC Director, H.E. Ambassador Constantin – Mihail Grigorie.
Anton Martinyuk, Senior Programme Officer, Assistance and Protection Branch, International Cooperation and Assistance Division, OPCW said that it is a great pleasure and honour to welcome all Workshop participants, as well as the OPCW long lasting partner-RACVIAC. “Our main goal in the next two days is to identify the critical needs related to national protection against chemical weapons”, stressed Mr Martinyuk, and continued: “We are going to discuss in depth this approach that we call the OSAT project, an online self-assessment tool”.

Addressing the audience, RACVIAC Director H.E. Ambassador Constantin-Mihail Grigorie said that it is essential to have a complex picture about the current threats, risks, existing capabilities and capacities within the national protective programmes against chemical weapons and toxic industrial chemicals, including their malicious use by non-state actors, the military and civilian authorities so that they may be confronted at present and in the future.

Ambassador Grigorie also praised the cooperation with OPCW in terms of covering a great part of the costs of this Workshop as well as providing eminent lecturers, underlining that the Organization has excelled as a major contributor to the overall success of the event. “The speakers from OPCW are here to provide their invaluable insights and expertise and will assist our participants in achieving the maximum goals and objectives of the Workshop”, he added. Furthermore, Director of RACVIAC extended his gratitude to Mr Anton Martyniuk, Senior Programme Officer at OPCW, as well as Mr Barry Moss, technical consultant, whose invaluable contribution and cooperation are very much appreciated.

The aim of the Workshop is enhancing the national protection programmes against the use of toxic chemicals in targeted States Parties and sub-regions as well as strengthening international counter chemical terrorism measures. The operational objectives are to identify critical needs related to national preparedness and response capabilities, including investigation of the Member States in the SEE region against the use of Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA) and Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TIC).

The Workshop is attended by more than 30 military or civilian experts or policy-makers dealing with CWC, chemicals and national disasters’ response issues and/or responsible for counter chemical terrorism issues from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, France, Hungary, and Kosovo*.