Switzerland Commits to Supporting Russian Chemical Weapons Destruction

Russian and Swiss officials signed a deal today in Moscow to provide Russia with about $12 million over five years to aid the destruction of Russia’s chemical weapons arsenal (see GSN, Nov. 26, 2003; Swisspolitics.org, Jan. 28).

Russian Munitions Agency Director General Victor Kholstov and Swiss charge d’affaires in Moscow Ann Boti inked the agreement that marks Switzerland’s participation in multinational effort to support WMD destruction in the former Soviet Union.

Switzerland announced in June that it would join the Global Partnership Against the Spread of Nuclear Weapons, an effort begun by the Group of Eight global economic powers in June 2002 (Itar-TASS, Jan. 28). The Swiss parliament last year approved spending more than $13 million on global efforts to destroy chemical weapons (Swisspolitics.org).

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