Chemical weapons destruction in russia: Opportunities for Regional Development, Civil Society and Business

EastWest Institute

Green Cross Russia
Green Cross Switzerland
Global Green USA

Chemical weapons destruction in russia:

Opportunities for Regional Development,

Civil Society and Business

Sponsored by Trust for mutual Understanding

A Working Conference on Development and Demilitarization in Russia

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Lack of funding represents the most important factor behind the slow pace of destruction of the 45,000 tons of stockpiled chemical weapons in Russia, already reportedly 2-5 years behind schedule. Further delays of the process will not only endanger the environmental and health situation around the seven storage sites in Russia but may also severely undermine the Chemical Weapons Convention as a whole and thus have serious global implications.

One area of specific concern relates to infrastructure development in the concerned regions. New infrastructure has to be in place to build the planned destruction facilities and to host the personnel for these plants and their families. In addition, there is a strong local request for infrastructure to enhance environmental and health safety before destruction starts. The Russian government is giving priority to destruction of the CW stockpiles at Gorny (Saratov oblast) and Kambarka (Udmurt Republic), to be followed by Shchuch’ye (Kurgan oblast) and Kizner (Udmurt Republic). (see CW site map pg. 17)

No major Russian federal or regional budgetary resources have been allocated for this purpose. There is also very little international funding for this purpose, and the problem of infrastructure thereby threatens to deepen the crisis in CW destruction in Russia. Some regions demand that the stockpiles on their territory be transported to other areas in Russia for destruction, a solution that is prohibited by law and also opposed by other regions.

The lack of public funding for these purposes forces the concerned regions to take initiatives of their own to attract investment resources. The conference demonstrated that some regions have come relatively far in their thinking in this respect. A number of business plans have been drafted but regional representatives expressed very strong requests for further advice on such business and development plans (and on feasibility studies) and on how to reach out to the private sector inside and outside Russia with feasible and credible investment projects. There is also a need for international advice on draft legislation for an investment-friendly environment through select tax exemptions and other such incentives. Another issue needing further exploration concerns possibilities of regional guarantees to investors. It was also suggested that a databank with project information be established.

All participants stressed the need for projects to be feasible and have a long-term, sustainable perspective – this must also be presented well to potential investors. A hope was also expressed that conversion of the demilitarization facilities after the completion of CW destruction should be granted as this might provide interesting investment opportunities for commercial waste management.

---> Summary report

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Alekseyev, Vladimir.A., President, Udmurt branch of Green Cross Russia; formerly Kizner local administration

Arefyev, natoly V., Union of scientific and engineering organizations, Udmurt republic

Baranovsky, Sergei I., Vice president, Green Cross Russia

Bodrova, Nataliya B., Press-secretary, Green Cross Russia

Bogomolov, Oleg A., Head of Administration, Kurgan oblast

Bogomolov, Vladimir . Deputy director, CWD Information and Assessment Center, Udmurt Republic

Bulkin, Aida, Chemical Weapons Destruction Support Office

Davenport, Michael, Embassy of the United Kingdom

Dubois, Gilbert, European Commission

Felgengaur, Pavel, Journalist

Golovin, Igor G., Head of department, Bryansk regional administration

Hartelius, Dag, Vice President for European Security, EastWest Institute

Isham, Heyward, Vice President for Russia Long-Range Assessment, EastWest Institute

Ivanov, Alexander S., First deputy Chairman of Conventional committee on problems of the chemical and bacteriological weapons, Presidency of Russian Federation

Kalinina, Nataliya I., Adviser, Government of Russian Federation

Kapashin, Valery .P., Head, Department of CW destruction, Ministry of Defense

Khantsevich, Arkady, "Nezavisimaya Gazeta"

Kirillov, Sergei ., Deputy of the head of Administration, Schuchansky district, Kurgan oblast

Kobrinskaya, Irina Y., Director, Moscow Centre, EastWest Institute

Kochetkov, Alexander M., Conventional committee on problems of the chemical and bacteriological weapons, Presidency of Russian Federation.

Korzanov, Vladimir I., Director, Pochep CWD Information and Assessment Center, Bryansk oblast

Leonov, Vladimir ., Director of programs, Green Cross Russia

Lodkin, Yuri ., Governor, Bryansk oblast

Maksimov, Igor S., Director, "Metallkhim"

Malyshev, Valery P., Vice president, Committee on Conventional problems of chemical weapons, Udmurt Republic

Mamontov, Yuri I., Head of department, Kurgan regional administration

Manilo, Ivan I., Director, Kurgan CWD Information and Assessment Center

Matsokin, >onstantin ¥., Secretary of the Interdepartmental commission on chemical disarmament

Mishanin, Stanislav I., Director, Penza CWD Information and Assessment Center

Mosher, Robert, Embassy of the United States

Nazarov, Valery D., Head of department for destruction of poisonous substances, Ministry of Defense

Nikolaev, Andrey I., Deputy Chairman, Committee on International Affairs, State Duma

Orlova, Elena A., MacArthur Foundation

Pankratov, Vladimir ., Head of department, Penza regional administration

Pechnikov A. V., ISAR

Peter, Lise, USAID

Pichon, Cecile, European Commission

Pikayev, lexander A., Carnegie Center

Protopopov, natoly ., Deputy Governor, Kirov oblast

Robinson, Stephan, Legacy Programme Coordinator, Green Cross Switzerland

Schleunning, Stefan, Technical Assistance Section, European Commission

Semin, Valery V., Principal Counsellor, Dept. for Security and Disarmament Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Shklyar, Natan, Research Associate, EastWest Institute

Stasovsky, Anatoly, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, "Krasnaya Zvezda"

Tarasov, Alexander A., Committee on International Affairs, State Duma

Sundquist, Eva, Embassy of Sweden

Trachtenberg, Elena, Embassy of Switzerland

Ulyanov, Vladimir ., Deputy head, Department of CW destruction, Ministry of Defense

Vaganov . G., Nezavisimaya gazeta

Valentine, Michael, Chemical Weapons Destruction Support Office

Vepreva Galina I., Director, Shchuch’ye CWD Information and Assessment Center, Kurgan oblast

Vyazmina, Olga V., Director on international relations, Green Cross Russia

Walker, Paul F., Legacy Program Director, Global Green USA

Program

09.00-09.15 Welcoming remarks

Acad. Prof. Sergei Baranovsky, Vice President, Green Cross Russia

Mr. Dag Hartelius, Vice President, EastWest Institute

09.15-10.00 Russian and international assistance to the CWD process – and its limits

Gen. Valery Kapashin, Director, Federal Program for the Destruction of Chemical Weapons, Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

10.00-11.00 Conflicting priorities – local concerns

Governor Yuri Lodkin, Bryansk oblast

Mr. Yuri Mamontov Head of Department, Kurgan oblast administration

Mr. Valery P. Malyshev, Vice President, Committee on Conventional Problems of Chemical Weapons, Udmurt Republic

11.00-11.20 Coffee

11.20-12.45 Conditions for financing related projects in CWD areas

Mr. Stefan Schleunning, Technical Assistance Section, European Commission/TACIS

Ms. Cecile Pichon, European Commission

Ms. Elena Trachtenberg, Embassy of Switzerland

Mr. Konstantin Matsokin, Secretary of the Interdepartmental Commission on Chemical Disarmament

12.45-14.00 Lunch

14.15-16.00 Possible First-Step Projects for Local and Regional Development

Dr. Stephan Robinson, Legacy Programme Coordinator, Green Cross Switzerland

Prof. Nataliya Kalinina, Coordinator, Russian Federal Government

Prof. Vladimir Alexeyev, Administration of Kizner/Green Cross Russia, Udmurt Republic

Mr. Ivan Manilo, Head of the Kurgan Information Center

Mr. Sergei Kirillov, Shchuch’ye local administration, Kurgan oblast

Mr. Vladimir Pankratov, Head of Department, Penza oblast Administration

Mr. Yuri Radyushkin, Head of Department, Saratov oblast administration

16.00-16.20 Coffee

16.20-18.15 Strategies ahead (Panel discussion)

Dr. Paul Walker, Director, Legacy Program, GlobalGreen USA

Prof. Sergei Baranovsky, Vice President, Green Cross Russia

Dr. Irina Kobrinskaya, Director of the Moscow Centre, EastWest Institute

Mr. Gilbert Dubois, European Commission

Gen. Vladimir A. Ulyanov, Deputy Head, Department of Chemical Weapons Destruction, Ministry of Defense

18.15-18.30 Words of conclusion and farewell

Prof. Sergei Baranovsky, Vice President, Green Cross Russia

Mr. Dag Hartelius, Vice President, EastWest Institute