Zürich, February 26 (RHC) -– Cuban specialists were among participants at the fourth iteration of the Swiss Advanced training course in protection against chemical weapons. The event is hosted by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Government of Switzerland.

The course took place February 16th to the 20th at the SWISSINT Training Center of the Swiss Armed Forces and had participants from 14 different countries including Barbados, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Mexico and Pakistan.

The course aims to prepare individuals who will then be responsible for training within their home countries against the threat of chemical weapons and what preparation measures should be taken.

Switzerland has offered this four-course package since 1997. The training covers four points known as Swiss Basic, Swiss Lab, Swiss Advanced and Swiss Exercise.

OPCW is the operational body of the Chemical Weapons Convention that was implemented in 1997. Goals of the organization and its member states are to prevent the use of chemical weapons, to foster protection training against chemical threats, to prevent the future development of chemical warfare agents and to facilitate international cooperation on convention ideals. OPCW is made up of 190 member states that, according to the website, makes up approximately 98 percent of landmass and global population.