MOSCOW. Dec 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The state commission on chemical disarmament said Russia has fully fulfilled its chemical weapons destruction plans.
"Russia completed the main stage of its chemical arsenals destruction in 2015," Mikhail Babich, chairman of the state commission on chemical disarmament and Russian presidential envoy in the Volga Federal District, said at a final session of the state commission held in Moscow.
Babich said chemical weapons arsenals were destroyed in another four facilities (Leonidovka in the Penza region, Maradykovsky in the Kirov region, Pochep in the Bryansk region, and Shchuchye in the Kurgan region) in the course of the past year.
Thus, now that the work was completed on the facility Gorny in the Saratov region in 2005 and on the facility Kambarka, Udmurtia, in 2009, only one of the seven facilities built on the territory of the country now remains active (Kizner in Udmurtia).
It was stated in the state commission meeting that Russia destroyed 36,755 tonnes of toxic substances (which is 92% of the country's military arsenals) as of early December 2015.
Babich said that "Russia is fulfilling its international obligations as regards the liquidation of its chemical weapons arsenals somewhat ahead of schedule."
"Most importantly, the main stage of the work associated with the fulfillment of complex engineering and technological work without accidents and without any consequences to people and the environment has been completed," he said.
The meeting of the state commission also addressed the prospects of the adoption of the federal target program "Elimination of the Consequences of the Activities by Chemical Weapons Storage and Destruction Facilities in the Russian Federation."
Babich said timely fulfillment of the work to eliminate the consequences of chemical weapons destruction is important in terms of the creation of the necessary conditions for subsequent involvement of the facilities in the economic turnover.
It was stated in the meeting that involvement of the chemical weapons destruction facilities in the economic turnover envisages the creation on their basis of infrastructure of defense industry and civil production facilities. Babich called on the regional authorities to take an active part in the process for drawing investors.
"These facilities have technological equipment, a developed engineering infrastructure and, what is the most important, competent personnel," Babich said.
Babich said the first facility that will be ready to be used in the economy in the nearest future will be Gorny in the Saratov region.
The participants in the meeting of the state commission on chemical disarmament approved a plan of work for 2016.