NIZHNY NOVGOROD, November 26, 16:04 /ITAR-TASS/. Russia has destroyed 77 percent of chemical weapons arsenals on its territory, the chairman of the Russian State Chemical Disarmament Commission, Mikhail Babich, told reporters on Tuesday.
“Russia meets all its international commitments on the destruction of its chemical weapons, which made up 40,000 tons and were inherited by Russia from the former Soviet Union,” said Babich, who is also Russian president’s envoy to the Volga River Federal District.
He said chemical weapons were being destroyed at six facilities. Babich marked major assistance from the countries helping Russia within the framework of the Global Partnership program. However, the situation at the moment is such that Russia itself can offer active assistance to the international community in the sphere of chemical disarmament, he added.
“The experience of Syria shows that in technological, engineering and personnel terms Russia is at a very high technical level,” he said, adding that people were coming to Russia to study, adopt its experience and ask for different kind of assistance.
In 1997, Russia ratified the Hague Chemical Weapons Convention. To liquidate Russia’s stockpiles, a federal program was worked out and six facilities were built. The construction of a seventh facility is nearing completion in the settlement of Kizner, in Udmurtia, a republic in west central Russia.
By the present day, three facilities have already liquidated chemical war gases in their arsenals.
A session of the State Chemical Disarmament Commission on November 27 will consider the first four projects for switching these facilities to civil production.