The 12th consignment of Syria's chemical weapons has been removed from Syria, the Syria-based joint mission of the UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement on Friday.

"The OPCW-UN Joint Mission in Syria has confirmed that a 12th consignment of chemicals has been transported to the port of Latakia and removed from the country," the statement said.

This is the first shipment since March 20, when the joint mission announced that more than half of Syria's chemical weapons had been removed from Syria.

Syria agreed to destroy all chemical weapons in September last year under the OPCW's supervision. The first batch of chemical weapons was shipped out of the country in January, and the last was scheduled to be destroyed before June 30.

Some Western countries have recently accused Damascus of not living up to its pledges to quickly remove its chemical weapons.

However, the Syrian government accused West-backed rebels of hindering the transportation of chemical weapons by attacking bases where the materials are stored.