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State commission to discuss conversion of toxic agents disposal facilities

The elimination of chemical weapons stocks has been conducted in the Russian Federation in four stages under the Federal purpose-oriented program adopted in 1996

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, November 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia's State Commission on chemical disarmament at its session on Wednesday will consider four projects aimed at converting toxic agents disposal facilities, according to Mikhail Babich, Chairman of the Interagency working group of the State commission and plenipotentiary presidential representative in the Volga Federal District.

"It is planned to discuss projects for the manufacture of civilian products by the Gorny facility in Saratov Region, Leonidovka in Penza Region, Maradykovsky in Kirov Region, as well as the Kambarka one in Udmurtia," Babich said.

The elimination of chemical weapons stocks has been conducted in the Russian Federation in four stages under the Federal purpose-oriented program adopted in 1996. It is planned to destroy the entire stock of combat toxic agents, which Russia had available, by December 31, 2015, in accordance with the international Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapoins.

In order to implement the program, six facilities for storage and elimination of toxic agents have been built in Russia. At two of them — at Gorny Settlement and in the city of Kambarka, the work has been completed.

Those factories undergo a procedure for withdrawing them from operation. They will be converted for harmless production to provide jobs for local population.

According to preliminary data, the production of high-purity arsenic for domestic industry is to be established in Gorny. A project for converting the Maradykovsky facility in Kirov Region is aimed at establishing a pulp-and-paper mill on its basis. Four chemical weapons disposal facilities are functioning in Russia — Pochel, Leonidovka, Shchuchye, and Maradykovsky, at which the elimination of the last batch of toxic agents weighing 13 tonnes was started on November 6.

At the end of 2013, the last, seventh, industrial facility Kizner in the Republic of Udmurtia is brought into operation. The facility is to eliminate 3,500 tonnes of dangerous substances within a year. The coming into operation of the facility in Kizner Settlement will complete Russia's program of chemical weapons' elimination.

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