OSCE Presence assists Albania in disposing of dangerous chemicals

The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, and Defence Minister Arben Imami signed an agreement on 16 April 2012 for the disposal of more than 80 tonnes of hazardous chemical products. The chemicals, which are currently stored in military facilities, will be collected, repacked and shipped abroad for safe and secure incineration.

“The destruction of all hazardous chemicals is a matter of security: for the population, for the environment, and also for the region. When completed, this project will leave Albania free of these dangerous military chemicals,” Ambassador Wollfarth said.

The current phase of the project is financed by the Czech Republic and Turkey.

For the past four years, following the deadly explosion of ammunitions in Gerdec in 2008, the OSCE Presence has been assisting Albania in its efforts to safely destroy surplus of conventional ammunition and dangerous toxic chemicals. The Presence has helped in the disposal of 34 tonnes of rocket fuel and of 120 tonnes of Dichloroethane. It also has provided the Ministry of Defence with bandsaws and other equipment for the demilitarization of surplus ammunition. These earlier projects were funded by Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Sweden.