MOSCOW. Jan 28 (Interfax-AVN) - Switzerland will provide assistance in establishing a sanitary system at the chemical weapons disposal facility in Shchuchye in the Kurgan region, Viktor Kholstov, director general of the Russian Ammunition Agency, told said on Wednesday, after signing the Russian-Swiss agreement on cooperation in chemical disarmament.
"The first stage of our cooperation envisions establishing a sanitary control system at the chemical weapons disposal facility in Shchuchye," Kholstov said.
In response to a question from Interfax-Military News Agency, he noted that establishment of this system had already been coordinated. About EUR500,000 have been allocated to this end. According to Kholstov, the main objective of the project is to equip adjacent villages with mobile sanitary control means in order to confirm that the chemical weapons disposal is quite safe.
"As far as other joint Russian-Swiss endeavors are concerned, they are still being discussed," Kholstov said.
At the present time in addition to Switzerland, Russia is also assisted in disposing of its chemical weapons by Great Britain, Germany, the EU, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, the U.S., Sweden, Finland, and Poland.
At the present time the chemical weapons disposal facility in Shchuchye stores 5,440 tonnes of such chemical agents as VX, sarin, and soman.
The chemical facility in Shchuchye is expected to become operational in late 2005. This facility has been established with an active participation of the U.S., which has undertaken a commitment to build the industrial facilities.