OSCE Secretary General signs Memorandum of Understanding with Georgia on Ammunition Demilitarization and Community Security Programme

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier signed today a Memorandum of Understanding with Georgia on the continuation of the Georgia Ammunition Demilitarization and Community Security Programme. The MoU is the legal foundation required to continue the Programme, established by the OSCE in partnership with UNDP in response to requests for assistance from the Government of Georgia since 2007.

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Georgia inherited substantial stockpiles of Soviet-era conventional ammunition manufactured in 1950-1990. In addition, some of the ammunition was also abandoned as the Russian Armed Forces pulled out of their military bases in Georgia. As a result, considerable amounts of out-dated and unstable ammunition, stockpiled in inadequate storing conditions, have been posing grave risks to human, physical and environmental security.

The MoU provides for improved cost-efficiency in implementing a series of individual sub-projects such as the disposal of aircraft bombs, utilization of unguided rockets, TNT smelting from artillery shells and explosion of cluster bombs, under the comprehensive 3 Year Demilitarization Program developed by the Georgian authorities in partnership with the OSCE and UNDP. By the end of the program the Georgian side should have sufficient local resources and capacity to carry on independently demilitarization and destruction of all weapons and ammunition procured after 1991.

“This project has already resulted in a safer environment for Georgia’s citizens and the whole region. It has helped eliminate a constant threat of explosion from unstable ammunition stores, and from poisoning by toxic materials that leaked into the ground and the water”, said Zannier after signing the MoU.  “We will now be able to bring the project to the point where Georgia can carry on such activities on its own, which is one of the best examples of governments and international co-operation can contribute to global security in the OSCE region”, he concluded.

Following the successful completion of disposal of nearly 1300 cluster bombs in July 2013, the next OSCE project supported by the MoU envisages the safe and environmentally acceptable disposal of 25,609 units of Aircraft Rockets and Bombs and TNT melting form artillery shells in June 2014 – September 2015.