Germany is providing financial and technical support. The focus is on the environmentally responsible and safe disposal of the nuclear and chemical weapons stockpile of the former Soviet Union.
When the G8 nations met in June 2002 in Kananaskis, Canada, the pictures of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 were still very fresh in their minds. As a contribution to combating terrorism they agreed to put in place a Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction. The aim is to prevent nuclear and chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.
Financial support from the G8
Up to 2012, the G8 states will be providing a total of 20 billion dollars. The priority tasks to be tackled include:
- The destruction of chemical weapons
- The disposal of nuclear submarines that have been retired from active service
- The disposal of weapons-grade nuclear materials.
Germany will be contributing up to 1.5 billion dollars to the cost of decommissioning and disposing of Russian nuclear and chemical weapons. This makes it one of the most important donor countries.
Russia has the largest arsenal of chemical weapons worldwide, with declared stocks of 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons. Under the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention of 29 April 1997, Russia has until 29 April 2012 to destroy all of its chemical weapons. Germany is helping Russia to dispose of these.
German contribution
In Kambarka in the Urals, a disposal plant for chemical weapons has been built with the financial and technical assistance of Germany. Since the completion of construction work in March 2006, Russian stocks of mustard gas for instance have been disposed of safely in a way that does not compromise the environment. Another plant in Gorny (Saratov Region) was established in 1993 with German assistance, for the storage and destruction of chemical weapons.
In the ports of the former Soviet Union, a large number of nuclear submarines that have been retired from active service are slowly rusting away. Germany is contributing 300 million euros towards the construction of a temporary storage facility for radioactive reactor components, which will go a long way to protecting the environment. By 2012, some 120 nuclear submarines from Russia's Northern Fleet are to be safely destroyed. Germany has made available another 170 million euros to improve the safety of Russian nuclear reactors.