Ten years ago, Syria became a State party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). Since then, the Syrian regime has failed to comply with its own obligations under this Convention.

In the years since the start of the war in Syria, the regime in Damascus has repeatedly used chemical weapons on the Syrian territory against its own people, causing numerous victims, especially among the civilian population. The world recently commemorated the tenth anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack perpetrated by the Syrian regime, which killed more than 1,400 innocent civilians in August 2013.

The European Union reiterates its call on the Syrian regime to comply with the Convention and to fully cooperate with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) investigations on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, as well as on the completion of the dismantling of its chemical weapons programme.

The European Union calls on all parties to the conflict, particularly the Syrian regime and its allies, to advance a credible, sustainable and inclusive political solution based on the full and comprehensive implementation of UNSCR 2254 as the only path to sustainable peace in Syria.