Cyprus Ambassador H.E. Ms. Frances-Galatia Lanitou, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias.
| The Hague, Netherlands –3 February 2021–The Government of Cyprus has contributed a further €20,000 to a special Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Trust Fund to support the construction of a new facility, the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology (“ChemTech Centre”). The contribution was formalized during a ceremony between the Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the OPCW, H.E. Ambassador Frances-Galatia Lanitou, and OPCW Director-General, H.E. Mr Fernando Arias, which was held today at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague. Ambassador Lanitou stated: “The Republic of Cyprus is a strong supporter of the OPCW. The Organization has a very important mandate and carries out its work with a view to achieving a world free of chemical weapons. We are delighted to renew our contribution to the new project of the OPCW Centre for Chemistry and Technology. The new facility will further strengthen the capabilities of the OPCW, including its investigative and capacity building capabilities, so that the OPCW may continue to fulfil its important role and to fully and successfully address any new or emerging chemical weapon threats.” The Director-General noted: “Thanks to the Government of Cyprus’ contribution, we are closer today to the creation of a new OPCW facility that will allow us to confidently face the challenges of an increasingly complex global security landscape.”Director-General Arias appealed to all OPCW States Parties in a position to make voluntary contributions to do so. He further emphasised the important role the new ChemTech Centre will play in strengthening the OPCW’s ability to address chemical weapon threats and enhance capacity building activities to the benefit of all 193 OPCW Member States. He highlighted that “all contributions, regardless of size, are greatly appreciated”. So far, 45 countries, the European Union, and four other donors have contributed or pledged to contribute financially to the ChemTech Centre project, and a considerable amount has been raised to date. |
