Representatives from 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries participate in the Basic Course on Response to Incidents Related to Chemical Warfare Agents and Toxic Industrial Chemical Substances, inaugurated this morning by Colonel Abdiel Solís Pérez, director general of the BCBRP; Miguel Albaladejo, Senior Official of the OPCW, and Dr. Alexandro Ganci, Secretary General of MINSA.
At the opening ceremony, held at the Parlatino headquarters, Colonel Solís Pérez pointed out that this course will strengthen the response capabilities of security and emergency personnel in the event of chemical warfare agents and toxic substances for industrial use and will allow the exchange of experiences among the 16 participating countries.
For his part, Mr. Albaladejo explained that the course is part of the assistance training on chemical weapons for countries in the region and its purpose is to raise awareness about the Chemical Weapons Convention and strengthen response capacities to promptly address situations in the various countries. “The exchange between the countries is very good,” he emphasized.
Dr. Alexandro Ganci, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health, emphasized that the course is important not only for Panama, but for all the 16 participating countries. “The geopolitical conditions of the world are changing, we currently have a greater possibility of threats with chemical weapons, but also chemical processes, which can affect the environment at the national level,” he said.
He also highlighted the need for MINSA, SINAPROC, firefighters and other entities to work in sync, to counteract, prevent, mitigate and contain any chemical threat to the country.
The academic event will take place from April 18 to 22 in Panama City, with the participation of 33 specialists, of which 11 are Panamanians belonging to the BCBRP, National Police, Senafront, SENAN, SPI and SINAPROC.
