INDUSTRY.co.id - Jakarta- Indonesia ran for membership of the Executive Board of an organization implementing the provisions of the International Chemical Weapons Convention, called The Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
 
"Indonesia has run for OPCW Executive Board for the period of 2018-2020," said Minister of Industry of Airlangga Hartarto through press conference in Jakarta on Monday (7/31/2017)

Airlangga, as the Chairman of the National Authority (Otnas) of the Indonesian Chemical Weapons Convention, delivered that meeting after the Director General of OPCW Ahmet Üzümcü some time ago, when met in Jakarta.

Hopefully, with the entry into the Executive Board, Indonesia will play a more optimal role in determining the policy direction and discussion of OPCW strategic issues while safeguarding the interests of Indonesia related to the implementation of the Chemical Weapon Convention.
 
"We also want OPCW to give Indonesia a higher chance to play a role in the OPCW Technical Secretariat as an international inspector, researcher, and officer," Airlangga said.
 
According to him, at present, Indonesia needs a referral laboratory that is specifically developed for the analysis of precursors and degradation of chemical weapons to support the implementation of the Chemical Weapon Convention at the national level.
 
"In addition, the Government of Indonesia also encourages the national laboratories to become reference laboratories by OCW. In this case, Indonesia needs capacity building assistance in the form of training and assistance of OPCW experts to develop research capability, "he explained.
 
According to Airlangga, the OPCW Technical Secretariat has proposed the establishment of a regional activity center related to the Chemical Weapons Convention in ASEAN or known as the ASEAN Regional Chemical Weapons Convention Capability Hub.
 
The establishment of these institutions to support ASEAN faces an increasingly complex global security development related to weapons of mass destruction.

"We support the establishment of the agency to support the strengthening of the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention," he stressed.
 
The Chemical Weapons Convention is an international convention that prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, use of chemical weapons and the destruction of the whole world.
 
On January 13, 1993 in Paris, Indonesia co-signed the Chemical Weapons Convention with 130 other countries.

The Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force from 29 April 1997 and Indonesia officially became a state party on December 12, 1998. In its development, to date, the Chemical Weapons Convention has been signed by 192 countries.