Syria announces 1st chemical materials destruction since fall of Assad regime

Syria announced Thursday the start of the destruction of chemical materials found in the country under the supervision of experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Anadolu reports.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Syria’s Permanent Representative Ibrahim Olabi described the operation as a historic milestone and the first such destruction effort since the fall of the former regime.

“I would like to announce before you today a historic moment, namely the commencement of the process of destroying some of the chemical materials found in Syria under the inspection work of the OPCW colleagues,” Olabi said.

“It’s also the first of its kind to destroy chemical materials on Syrian territories for over a decade,” he added, saying the process demonstrated what diplomacy, political will and international cooperation could achieve.

Olabi said Syria was committed to accountability and would continue working with the international community to support national justice.

“Syria’s position on accountability is not open to compromise or interpretation,” he said.

He said the operation was aimed at protecting Syrians and preventing chemical weapons from falling into the wrong hands, while also safeguarding regional and international security.

“Every site that is secured, every ammunition that is identified, does not merely remove a danger to Syria but the entire world,” he said.