ArmInfo. The new government of Armenia did not discuss with Russia the issue of documented guarantees about the absence of foreign military in biolabs in Armenia.
This was told to journalists on December 19th by the Acting President. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov."I can say that before such an agreement was discussed with the Armenian authorities. Under our government, we have never discussed this issue with our Russian colleagues," said the head of the Armenian government.As for the statement of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the preparation of such a document, Pashinyan said that it is necessary to clarify in more detail with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry about what exactly this is about.
Recall, on December 17, on the air of Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow and Yerevan are currently preparing a document that should guarantee the absence of foreign military in biolaboratories on the territory of Armenia. Answering the question of how Russia intends to resolve the issue of the existence and active work of foreign biolabs in post-Soviet countries, including Armenia and Georgia, Sergei Lavrov said that the process of preparing a document is being completed with Armenia, which will guarantee the absence of any risks and threats transparency. "With Armenia, we are completing the process of preparing a document that will guarantee the non- presence of foreign military there, which will ensure that everything that is done there will be transparent in terms of guarantees that there are no threats and risks," the minister said, adding that a similar agreement is also being prepared with Kazakhstan.The Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to this statement by Lavrov.
"From the context of what has been said, it becomes clear that we are talking about bio-laboratories. Cooperation in the control of the sanitary-epidemiological situation is part of the agenda of our country. Armenia fulfills all its international obligations towards the peaceful use of scientific research in the microbiological sphere, "the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.Earlier, Kommersant wrote that the Russian side is negotiating with Armenia about signing a document that would guarantee a ban on the use of biolaboratories by third countries with financial support from the United States. It was noted that if the negotiations are crowned with success, then American experts will not have access to the laboratories. During his visit to Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper that, on his personal instructions, Russian specialists were admitted to laboratories located in Armenia that deal with biomaterial research. He stressed that the representatives of the Russian Federation never had and will not have problems with access there.