Syria: Chemical munitions discovery a turning point in uncovering Assad-era weapons

Syria’s ambassador to the UN said Thursday that the country’s efforts to uncover and dismantle the remnants of the former Bashar al‑Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme have reached a critical milestone. Addressing the Security Council, Ibrahim Olabi stated that the Syrian government remains committed to national and regional security and to strengthening the global non‑proliferation regime.

Cooperation with OPCW

“Our teams successfully reached high‑priority and high‑risk sites and handled highly sensitive materials and munitions with professionalism … transporting and securing them and facilitating access for the technical secretariat teams to carry out verification procedures,” Olabi said. He described the operation as a “decisive turning point” in efforts to uncover the full extent of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons activities. Damascus has facilitated 32 visits by OPCW Technical Secretariat teams to sites suspected of being linked to the former programme.

Determination to eliminate legacy

“The discovery of these munitions provides an extremely important database for uncovering and documenting evidence. It helps advance investigations, thereby strengthening efforts at accountability and the identification of those involved,” Olabi added. He emphasised that Syria itself has suffered from chemical weapons use for over 12 years and is determined to eliminate the legacy left by years of conflict.