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Russia takes effort to prevent terrorist from obtaining chemical weapons — deputy FM

The diplomat pointed out that the process of chemical weapons destruction in the world is irreversible

MIRNY, October 30. /TASS/. Moscow is taking maximum effort to prevent terrorists from obtaining chemical weapons, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday.

"In front of our eyes is the new page of Middle East’s tragic history where terrorists try to obtain this deadly type of weapons," Ryabkov said at the closing ceremony of Russia’s Maradykovsky chemical weapons disposal facility in the Kirov region. "Our duty is to counter such barbaric, anti-human ideas by joint efforts. The Russian Foreign Ministry, together with specialized agencies and organizations, will take maximum efforts to solve this problem," he added.

Chemical weapons destruction process is irreversible

The diplomat pointed out that the process of chemical weapons destruction in the world is irreversible.

"I am confident that the process of liquidation of military-chemical arsenals in the world has an irreversible nature," he said. "It took the humankind long to arrive at the signing of the Chemical Weapons Convention," he continued.

"Since the Convention was adopted, we have been constantly exerting maximum effort to comply with our own commitments and to see that the Convention get a universal nature," Ryabkov said.

"I think the humankind has realized that chemical weapons are barbarous and man-hating, this form of warfare must remain in the past," the diplomat noted.

Chemical weapons facility officially closed in Russia’s Kirov region

Presidential Envoy to the Volga Federal District, Chairman of the State Commission for Chemical Disarmament Mikhail Babich said Russia has not deviated a step from its international commitments for the destruction of chemical weapons.

The envoy spoke at a ceremony of closing the Maradykovo chemical facility in the Kirov region in the Volga area on Friday.

"Today is a festive day not only for Russian citizens but also for all those who have been participating for many years, creating conditions for the chemical weapons destruction process to be completed," Babich said.

"Today we can report to the entire world that in 2015 we have actually completed liquidating chemical weapons at six out of seven facilities. This was complex work of a team of several thousand people," he said.

‘We have not deviated a step from the international commitments we assumed," the presidential envoy said.

Maradykovsky is the third Russian facility that began full-scale disposal of chemical weapons in September 2006, and the second-largest by the amount of toxic agents stored in it. Over 40,000 aerial bombs and warheads stuffed with mixtures of toxic agents had been stored in its arsenals since 1953.

Maradykovsky became operational on September 8, 2006 and became Russia’s third chemical weapons disposal plant. Over 6,900 combat nerve gases - V-x, sarin, soman and mixtures of yperite and lewisite - in over 40,000 aerial bombs and warheads had been kept there since 1953. The plant started destroying V-x gases first.

Under the relevant federal program, Russia has to dispose of all chemical weapons by December 31, 2015. During the first stage, 400 tons of poison substances were eliminated by April 29, 2003, which made up 1% of Russia's chemical weapons (40,000 tons). In the course of Phase Two, Russia disposed of 8,000 tons of chemical weapons.