Qatar urges coordinated push to eliminate remnants of former Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program

Qatar has called for coordinated international action to eliminate the remnants of the former Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program, using a high‑level briefing at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to press for renewed cooperation.

The appeal was delivered by Dr. Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani, Qatar’s ambassador to the Netherlands and its representative to the OPCW, during a briefing hosted by the Syrian Arab Republic at the organization’s headquarters. The session outlined the objectives of the international “The Breath of Freedom” working group, which aims to remove the remaining vestiges of the former Syrian regime’s chemical weapons program.

In his remarks, Dr. Al Qahtani praised the Syrian Arab Republic’s cooperation with the OPCW and international partners. He stressed the need for partners to help build Syrian national capacities through technical, medical and operational support, describing such assistance as essential for sustainable progress toward a Syria free of chemical weapons.

According to the briefing, Syria leads the “The Breath of Freedom” working group, with support from Qatar, Canada, France, Germany, Turkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States. The initiative seeks to channel collective efforts through the OPCW framework to ensure that remaining dangers from the former program are addressed and eliminated.

Qatar’s intervention underscored its view that sustained, coordinated engagement is required to complete the task. Officials said the focus on capacity building is intended to underpin long‑term compliance and safety as the working group advances its objectives.