OSCE States will fund long-term scheme to destroy surplus weapons and explosives in Georgia

TBILISI, 30 January 2003 - An agreement was signed today between the Georgian authorities and the OSCE, establishing a project to eliminate or recycle vast munitions dumps, which are a threat to the safety, ecology and security of the country.

The international community has recognized the acute problems posed by the stockpiles of ammunition and bombs that have been left behind on former military bases located across Georgia.

Finance for the first stage, which will last 3 months at a cost of $100,000, will come from the OSCE Voluntary Fund, established following agreements on the withdrawal of Russian forces and equipment reached by Georgia and the Russian Federation during the 1999 OSCE Istanbul Summit.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, Ambassador Jean-Michel Lacombe, said today: "This Memorandum represents only the first stage of a process of eliminating the stockpiles of ammunition and bombs that remain on former bases throughout Georgia. The preparatory stage will lay the foundations for a process that will take many years to complete".

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the headquarters of the OSCE Mission to Georgia, between the OSCE Mission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the Georgian State Military Scientific and Technical Centre, DELTA.

Financial support for the project has been assured by the governments of Finland, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey. The entire project, which is divided into several stages of implementation, will be financed step-by-step.