UK Ministry of Defence, The UK-MoD managed programme to help destroy Russia's Cold War legacy of chemical weapons received a boost today when Ireland pledged more funds.
During his first official visit to Ireland as Defence Secretary, John Reid met his Irish counterpart Mr Willie O'Dea to discuss a variety of issues including a further E30,000 contribution from Ireland to the Global Partnership Programme to help destroy Russia's WMD stockpile.
The Irish funds, contributed by the Department of Foreign Affairs, will help to support the construction of a key Russian chemical weapons destruction facility at Shchuch'ye, in the Urals. Nearly two million artillery munitions, containing lethal nerve agents, will be destroyed there.
Mr Reid, said:
“The threats of weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism remain very real. This is a truly important programme that will enhance security not just in Russia, but around the world.
“I am delighted that Ireland is making a second contribution. I know that, along with contributions from the UK and our other partners, it will fund vital projects that will help destroy Cold War Chemical Weapons.”
This is Ireland's second contribution to the project and comes in the same month that both Sweden and the Czech Republic signed agreements with the UK, covering their contributions to Russian chemical weapons destruction, through the UK Programme.
The UK is managing projects to destroy Russia's chemical weapons stockpile on behalf of a number of funding donors. Arrangements of this sort enable assistance to be delivered more efficiently overall, since separate management and contractual arrangements do not need to be set up by each donor, and there is a single interface with the Russian authorities.
Background Notes and Information:
1. At the G8 summit at Kananaskis in 2002, the G8 pledged up to $20bn over 10 years for a Global Partnership to tackle threats posed by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and materials spread across the states of the Former Soviet Union. The UK committed to provide up to $750M.
2. The MOD is now planning to carry out further projects at Shchuch'ye, with funding from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Sweden and the Czech Republic. As well as engineering infrastructure, these will include procuring processing equipment for one of the two buildings in which chemical warfare agents and munitions will be destroyed.
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