The Ministry of National Defense (MND) launched a training-for-trainers session on Tuesday at the National Army Circle in Béni-Messous (Algiers) on the technical aspects of the transformation systems of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), as part of technical cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The opening ceremony of this training session, which continues until Tuesday, was chaired on behalf of Lieutenant General, Deputy Minister of National Defense, Chief of Staff of the National People’s Army (ANP), by Major General Gueroui Djamel, chargé de mission to the MND. It was attended by major generals and generals from various MND services and directorates, as well as the Director General of Algerian Customs, Bahamid Farouk, the Deputy Director General of the OPCW, Hamid Ali Raou, and representatives of the Organization’s member countries.
In a speech delivered on this occasion, Major General Gueroui affirmed that “this meeting is an opportunity to reiterate Algeria’s commitment to the principles and positions regarding chemical disarmament,” emphasizing, in this regard, that “Algeria supports and implements all the provisions of the CWC.”
Calls for the importance of “paying greater attention to the African continent and the Sahel region, given the numerous and growing challenges facing the region,” and the need to make “additional efforts to strengthen control over the movement of chemicals across borders and prevent their use by criminals,” Major General Gueroui affirmed that the courses offered during this session “will make it possible to identify necessary needs and exchange expertise.”
For his part, Rachid Belledhane, Director General of Multilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that this session, organized by Algeria in coordination with the OPCW, “is part of the development of African states’ capacities to implement the CWC.”
Stating that the Customs sector is “concerned by this session given its important role in controlling the movement of chemicals,” the same official emphasized that this training “reflects Algeria’s commitment to implementing the provisions of the CWC and its leadership role in this area at both the regional and African levels.”
