The Hague, May. 26 (SANA) The Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that searches and investigations conducted by the Syrian Arab Republic have led to the identification of sites linked to the Assad-era chemical weapons programme.
Unprecedented Progress in Chemical Weapons Elimination
“All materials, munitions, and equipment were transferred to dedicated chemical storage facilities following verification by the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), pending their destruction in a manner that ensures the prevention of any risk to civilians, the environment, or national, regional, and global security,” the permanent mission said in a statement.
It added that the progress was achieved during the OPCW Technical Secretariat’s deployment in May 2026, as a result of intensive national efforts to collect and analyze information and plan access to priority sites, in technical and advisory cooperation with members of the “Breath of Freedom” Task Force and other State Members to the OPCW.
National Efforts and International Cooperation
“Since the liberation of Syria, national teams have facilitated visits by OPCW inspection teams to 32 suspected sites and submitted evaluation reports concerning 14 additional locations. These efforts have helped establish priorities and significantly reduce the number of suspected sites,” the statament added.
It went on to say that in 2025, the Syrian Arab Republic established an inter-ministerial national working group that achieved notable progress in implementing arrest warrants against individuals involved in the use and production of chemical weapons during the Assad era.
Accountability Measures and Arrests Commitment to International Obligations
The statement added that a number of high-ranking officers were arrested, in addition to former experts from the Scientific Studies and Research Centre, as well as officers from the security apparatus who had been overseeing the Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme, contributing to the provision of further information regarding remnants of this programme.
“The Syrian Arab Republic reaffirms that these efforts are undertaken within the framework of its commitment to eliminating the legacy of chemical weapons, ensuring accountability for those responsible for their use against Syrians, and preventing the recurrence of such crimes, in a manner that strengthens national, regional, and global security and stability, and reflects its commitment to fulfilling its international obligations,” the statemment concluded.
MHD/MZN
