Syria has regained its voting rights at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), more than five years after being stripped of the privilege over the use of chemical weapons during the country’s civil war.
Member states approved the move on Thursday, citing what they described as a “significant change in circumstances” following the fall of the Assad regime.
Syria lost its voting rights at the global chemical weapons watchdog in 2021 after investigations concluded that government forces had repeatedly used poison gas during the conflict. While the suspension was largely symbolic, it was intended to send a political message that violations of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention would not be tolerated.
New leadership pledges cooperation
The OPCW said Syria’s new authorities have committed to fulfilling the country’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and have already taken concrete steps toward compliance.
“Following the fall of the Assad regime, the new Syrian authorities committed to fulfilling Syria’s obligations under the Convention and have since taken concrete steps,” the organization said.
The transitional government has also pledged to work with the international community to eliminate legacy weapons of mass destruction inherited from the previous regime.
Chemical weapons remnants located
In May, a Syrian official told Reuters that the country’s transitional leadership had located remnants of former President Bashar al-Assad’s clandestine chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions similar to those used in deadly gas attacks during the civil war.
Previous investigations conducted by the United Nations and the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team concluded that Syrian government forces used the nerve agent sarin and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks that killed or injured thousands of people.
At the time, both Syria and its military ally Russia repeatedly denied that chemical weapons had been used.
Monitoring to continue
Despite restoring Syria’s voting rights, the OPCW said its Executive Council will continue to monitor the country’s progress and take any decisions necessary to ensure the elimination of the remaining chemical weapons inherited from the former regime.
