The Director-General of the OPCW, Sabrina Dallafior, met Poland's Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Radosław Sikorski, at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague on 16 October 2026.
Director-General Dallafior briefed the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister on her recent visit to Syria and highlighted the progress made in locating and destroying the remnants of the Assad-era chemical weapons programme. They also discussed the Technical Secretariat provisions of technical expertise in support of Ukraine's national investigation into the presence of the riot control agent CS along the confrontation lines. The Chemical Weapons Convention bans the use of riot control agents in warfare.
Director-General Dallafior recognised Poland's continued support for the OPCW's mission, including through contributions to the Trust Fund for Syria Missions and leading negotiations on the annual resolution on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the UN General Assembly.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Sikorski stated that the "prohibition of chemical weapons use applies to all states, without exception. The experience of Syria and reports of Russia's use of chemical weapons against Ukraine demonstrate the critical importance of effective monitoring and enforcement of international obligations. Poland remains firmly committed to supporting the OPCW and its mission. The world must not allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalised."
Background
Poland signed the Chemical Weapons Convention on 13 January 1993, ratified it on 23 August 1995, and has been an OPCW Member State since the Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997. Poland has consistently supported OPCW activities concerning Ukraine and Syria. It has contributed to the OPCW Trust Fund for the Implementation of Article X and the Trust Fund for Syria Missions.
