AWARDING the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize to the Hague-based Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) brings me great honour and happiness, Ditta Cigániková, who works for the OPCW, told TASR.
In addition to Cigániková, there are two more Slovaks working for the OPCW: Katarina Grolmusová, who is a newcomer to the organisation, and Marián Ružovič, an inspector with nine years of experience in the OPCW, according to the Sme daily.
"For me personally, it is a great honour and pleasure that our organisation's work has been recognised after 16 years in operation,” Cigániková told TASR. “At the same time, it made me proud for all of my former colleagues among whom were other Slovaks, like Ervín Farkas, Ladislav Belický, and others. This prize means even greater responsibility for us in fulfilling our duties under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction."
Cigániková’s department deals with building the capacity of member states in their protection against chemical weapons.
"This means that we organise courses and trainings where participants from the member states of the Chemical Weapons Convention improve their abilities in terms of using protective equipment, detection equipment and decontamination techniques, but also in building their national system of protection against chemical weapons," explained Cigániková, as quoted by TASR.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to OPCW on October 11, "for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons”.
The OPCW was formed to enforce the Chemical Weapons Convention, the 1997 international treaty outlawing such arms. The organisation is currently working to destroy chemical weapons in Syria.
Source: TASR, Sme
Compiled by Michaela Terenzani from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information
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