Message of the Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on the occasion of the anniversary of the Sardasht attack

Fernando Arias, director general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said in a message on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of the chemical attack on Sardasht: Today is an official occasion to remember the people of Sardasht. Thirty-seven years ago, on June 28, Sardasht was the target of a brutal and terrifying chemical attack on a large scale.

He said: On behalf of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, I would like to express my deepest sympathy to those killed and injured in this atrocity – whose suffering continues. The Sardasht tragedy is an event that unites us in its condemnation and strengthens our will to support the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

The Director General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also emphasized in his message: The main goal of the convention, simple yet fundamental, is to completely eliminate the possibility of using chemical weapons. Last year, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons took a big step towards realizing its main goal.

On 7 July, the Organization verified the destruction of the last chemical weapons belonging to a state party to the Convention, thereby completing the destruction of all declared chemical weapons stockpiles. The end of stockpile destruction was a historic moment for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the international community, and a major success for global disarmament and the Convention.

Fernando Arias stated in another part of his message: Beyond the end of the process of disarmament based on the Convention, our work in the field of keeping the world safe from chemical weapons is still far from the end, and of course acknowledging this fact is very important. It is sad. The recent possibilities and threats in the field of using chemical weapons, the dangers we face from chemical terrorism, as well as the rapid progress of science and technology remind us that these achievements of the international community are vulnerable based on the Convention.

He pointed out: Therefore, we must remain alert to existing and emerging threats in order to prevent the reappearance of these weapons. Accordingly, it is necessary for all member states to devote themselves to the full and effective implementation of the convention. Thirty-seven years after the atrocities of 1987, we still draw strength and courage from the survivors of Sardasht. It is with the memory of the victims and with respect for the survivors that we are determined to continue our path to a world free of chemical weapons.

Source: ISNA